The briefing was aimed at ascertaining the expenditure trends of the department as reflected in the annual financial statement, report of the auditor-general; statement of accounting policies and related matters. The Annual Report, which addresses the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009, dealt with the period only a month prior to the national elections. A number of significant programmatic changes within the new term made it clear that some of the programmes referred to in the Annual Report would undergo changes in line with the fresh configuration in the Cabinet and priority functions.