Finance committee  I believe that it will improve the services provided to parliamentarians. It is an essential new tool available to you to get information. It will give you access to strategic advice relating to your work on the Standing Committee on Finance, for example.

Finance committee  I will give the floor to Mr. Darling, who has looked into this issue.

Finance committee  You have the chronology that we have prepared. I think that the representative from the Privy Council Office is scheduled to appear after me. I believe that there is a problem regarding the classification of the position. That was identified by Ray & Berndtson.

Finance committee  It is not just a question of pay; it is also a question of status in the system.

Finance committee  To begin with, my job is to implement the act. I did not write the act. As far as the library is concerned, it is an independent institution there to serve you as members. It is not subservient to the Department of Finance. As far as the role of the parliamentary budget officer

Finance committee  Six firms submitted bids.

Finance committee  That's correct.

Finance committee  It did. What happened was that a lot of people were screening themselves out, based on the classification of the position.

Finance committee  I think not.... Well, that's part of it, obviously. Part of it is also the clout that a classification will give you in any system. For example, this person will be negotiating with people at the highest level in the Department of Finance. If you look at the Ray & Berndtson r

Finance committee  That's correct.

Finance committee  That's in the legislation. The legislation states that the officer will have as one of his functions the costing of proposals by members of Parliament or by committees of Parliament.

Finance committee  Quite frankly, that part of the job is going to be demand-driven, and I don't know whether the budget is adequate or not in that area. I'm perfectly prepared to go back and seek more resources if the costing function is going to take up an undue proportion of the individual's tim

Finance committee  Last year we saw $250,000 in our supplementary estimates to assist us in setting up the office, but because that did not happen, we returned that money. It lapsed, and we have funded all the activities related to setting up this office internally.

Finance committee  Currently most of the library staff are housed at 50 O'Connor. I sent a letter to the deputy minister of public works as soon as the officer was included in the Parliament of Canada Act, and we currently are going to be getting additional space there for this.

Finance committee  I don't believe so. I will let Mr. Darling explain, as he's been in charge of the selection process.