Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Transportation Safety Board of Canada 2013 - 2014
As required by the Treasury Board Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures, this report provides information on travel, hospitality and conference expenditures for Transportation Safety Board of Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014.
Travel, hospitality and conference expenditures incurred by a federal department or agency relate to activities that support the department or agency’s mandate and the government’s priorities.
Mandate:
Expenditures on travel, hospitality and conferences incurred by federal departments and agencies are for the most part directly related to supporting departmental mandates and the government's priorities. The mandate of the TSB is to advance transportation safety. This mandate is fulfilled by conducting independent investigations into selected transportation occurrences to identify the causes and contributing factors of the occurrences and the underlying safety deficiencies, reporting on its findings, making recommendations and advocating to influence safety actions and changes.
Transportation Safety Board of Canada Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2014
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2014 ($ thousands) |
|---|---|
| Travel | |
Public Servants |
$1,043.00 |
Non-public Servants |
$2.00 |
| A. Total travel | $1,045.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $7.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $8.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $1,060.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $0.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
A. Public Servants: Travel expenditures increased by 9% compared to fiscal year 2012-2013, which can be attributed to the investigation of the Lac-Mégantic rail occurrence in July 2013. The complexity of the investigation required a large number of TSB employees to travel for extended periods of time over the course of the investigation. Travel costs for public servants for this investigation alone totaled $188K in 2013-14. Offsetting this increase in travel expenditures is a reduction in discretionary travel as part of the savings measures implemented by the TSB to meet the operating budget reductions announced in Budget 2012 and Budget 2013.
B. Non-Public Servants: Travel by non-public servants relates to expenditures incurred by consultants performing services for TSB, subject matter experts assisting with investigations, or individuals relocating to become new employees of TSB. Spending on this category of travel is minimal; as a result, a single event can present a significant percentage variance between years. Fiscal year 2013-14 showed only a small reduction of $1K when compared to 2012-13.
Hospitality:
Spending on hospitality expenditures is minimal; as a result, a single event can present a significant percentage variance between years. In 2012-13 spending was slightly higher due to a 4-day branch meeting of all Marine Branch staff in Newfoundland, which included training and discussion of current operational issues. The meals during this event were recorded as hospitality rather than travel expenses. There were no similar branch meetings held in 2013-14.
Conference fees:
Spending on conference fees is minimal. The increase in 2013-14 is explained by participation in the annual seminar of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators. The TSB had a larger than usual participation at this international conference because it was held in Vancouver, Canada and it provided a good opportunity for TSB investigators to meet and exchange with their counterparts from other countries.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Not Applicable. To instill confidence in the public regarding the transportation accident investigation process, it is essential that an investigating agency be independent and free from any conflicts of interest when investigating accidents, identifying safety deficiencies, and making safety recommendations. The TSB is an independent agency, separate from other government agencies and departments, that reports to Parliament through the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade.