Page 588 - Week 02 - Thursday, 21 February 1991

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MR STEVENSON: Once again, there can be some humorous moments in this place, but it is truly something that I feel very strongly about. We must protect small businesses. I will raise such matters as the hours when people can knock. People do not mind when you knock if it is on public holidays. I certainly would exclude Christmas Day, Good Friday and so on. But they do not mind you knocking on other days. They do not mind that at all. I have knocked on thousands of doors. I do it around Canberra. Once again, on behalf of constituents who have spoken to me about this matter, I would sincerely ask the Attorney-General to answer those three important interpretation questions.

Debate (on motion by Mrs Nolan) adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 1.02 to 2.30 pm

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Hospital Services Budget

MS FOLLETT: My question is addressed to Mr Kaine, as Treasurer. Mr Kaine, yesterday during debate in the Assembly you said:

The Treasury will be able to tell us what the state of the budget is for hospitals.

Bearing in mind that the day before your Minister Mr Humphries failed to tell us just that, I would ask you now, as Treasurer: Can you inform the Assembly whether the ACT hospital system is operating within budget? If it is not, what is the expenditure difference between the budget and actual costs, and what are the current full-year projections?

MR KAINE: I cannot answer that question off the top of my head, Mr Speaker. I have seen figures on the operating budget as recently as December, but I have not seen any since then. I cannot answer the question as to whether the hospital administration is operating on budget or not at this stage. But, as I indicated, the Treasury will be able to tell me. They keep the score. Either the Minister responsible or I can ask the Treasury for that information and provide it.

MS FOLLETT: I ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Will Mr Kaine give an undertaking to provide that information on the next day of sitting?

MR KAINE: Either the responsible Minister or I will undertake to provide that information, of course. That was implicit, I thought, in the answer.


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