Report on Resources

Introduction

The annual budget is based on core business assumptions contained in the ministry's three-year Service Plan. The plan utilized forecasts of expenditure and caseload trends, plus anticipated impacts of legislative, policy and program changes. Ministry overall financial results were sensitive to fluctuations in caseload and program demand. The ministry manages its core businesses with the objective of achieving its overall budget.

2004/05 Resource Summary

	Estimated	Other Authorizations	Total Estimated	Actual	Variance1
Operating Expenses ($000)
Employment Programs	71,475	0	71,475	77,895	6,420
Temporary Assistance	382,176	0	382,176	377,999	(4,177)
Disability Assistance	476,358	10,000	486,358	508,850	22,492
Supplementary Assistance	165,630	0	165,630	166,246	616
Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal	2,467	0	2,467	1,455	(1,012)
Executive and Support Services	203,319	0	203,319	173,580	(29,739)
Total	1,301,425	0	1,311,425	1,306,025	(5,400)
Full-time Equivalents (FTEs)
Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal	14	0	14	10	(4)
Executive and Support Services	1,972	0	1,972	1,859	(113)
Total	1,986	0	1,986	1,869	(117)
Ministry Capital Expenditures (Consolidated Revenue Fund) ($000)
Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal	35	0	35	0	(35)
Executive and Support Services	21,512	0	21,512	4,804	(16,708)
Total	21,547	0	21,547	4,804	(16,743)

Explanation of Variances

Employment Programs

The over-expenditure of $6.4 million, or 9.0 per cent, is a result of the ministry moving more clients with employment-related obligations through various ministry employment training and placement services and programs, as demonstrated in Measures 1.2 and 1.3. Savings from an Expenditure Management Plan in Executive and Support Services covered the over-expenditure.

Temporary Assistance

The under-expenditure of $4.2 million, or 1.0 per cent, is the result of:

• A lower temporary assistance caseload. The temporary assistance actual average caseload was 54,100, 4.0 per cent lower than the budgeted average caseload of 56,200.

Disability Assistance

The over-expenditure of $22.5 million, or 5.0 per cent, is the result of:

• Higher than anticipated growth in the persons with disabilities caseload. The persons with disabilities actual average caseload was 53,700, 2.0 per cent higher than the budgeted average caseload of 52,500.
• A $10 million budget lift approved through Supplementary Estimates to cover additional expenditures of $18.5 million for a rate increase announced in November 2004 for persons with disabilities. An Expenditure Management Plan in Executive and Support Services covered $8.5 million of the expenditures.

Supplementary Assistance

The over-expenditure of $0.6 million, or less than 1.0 per cent, is the result of an increased demand in supplementary and health assistance requirements due to the increase in persons with disabilities clients.

Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal

The under-expenditure of $1.0 million, or 41.0 per cent, is due to a lower than anticipated number of appeals and operating costs.

Executive and Support Services

The under-expenditure of $29.7 million, or 15.0 per cent, is the result of:

• An Expenditure Management Plan, implemented to offset additional expenditures resulting from the rate increase for persons with disabilities and greater than anticipated caseload growth and additional Employment Program demand.

Capital Expenditures

The ministry's capital budget was under spent by $16.7 million, or 78.0 per cent, due to changing priorities in the information technology capital plan.