Finance committee  Hello. My name is Bill Matthews. I am with the Office of the Controller General. Sir, I couldn't quite hear your question.

Finance committee  No. If you look at the reporting framework we have federally, it starts with the budget, and then to wrap up the year we do the public accounts on an annual basis. From an interim perspective, the Department of Finance produces the fiscal monitor on a monthly basis. But that's a

Finance committee  We have put a delay on it--it goes into effect in April 2011--to give them some time. But in terms of reporting, it's largely to be based on reporting they would be doing anyway for their own management. So there are some resources required, but it's not enough to require an ask

Finance committee  That's basically all departments and all crown corporations--all the major departments, yes.

Finance committee  They don't produce publicly available quarterly reports right now. They do annual financial statements.

Finance committee  They are to be unaudited, exactly. If you want to do it sixty days after the quarter ends, there's no way you could do audits. If you went the audit route, it's quite an expensive proposition.

Public Accounts committee  That's maintained by the Receiver General. I do get reports on a monthly basis from that, and my staff do have access to the database.

Public Accounts committee  I believe this motion was debated at OGGO this morning. As we discussed earlier, the system itself is maintained by PWGSC, the Receiver General, so it's not for me to--

Public Accounts committee  I have access to the data. It's not my data to release, though.

Public Accounts committee  I will speak to how the central consolidation system works for government, because it drives both public accounts and there's a link to the Fiscal Monitor. The departments submit their trial balance, and they report monthly to the centre and the Receiver General. The Receiver Gen

Public Accounts committee  You have to look at the actual wording of vote 35, but from memory, it's around new budget initiatives.

Public Accounts committee  I will give you more details about the public accounts, but I will do so in English, because it is a little technical. If you think about the financial statements, you have three areas in which you can provide additional disclosure. You have something called subsequent events, w

Public Accounts committee  No, you're right. I'll add a couple of clarifications on that point. The financial results--including spending by departments against appropriations, which then drives your lapsed number--get finalized over the summer. We're in the process of having the books closed and audited