PROVISIONS

a) Provisions



	As at December 31, 2019		As at December 31, 2018
Environmental rehabilitation (“PER”)		$2,922		$2,726
Post-retirement benefits	43		42
Share-based payments	26		26
Other employee benefits	19		22
Other	104		88
		$3,114		$2,904

b) Environmental Rehabilitation



	2019			2018
At January 1		$2,837			$3,096
PERs acquired (divested) during the year	425			—
Closed Sites
Impact of revisions to expected cash flows recorded in earnings	(75		)	(30		)
Settlements
Cash payments	(72		)	(48		)
Settlement gains	(3		)	(2		)
Accretion	18			13
Operating Sites
PER revisions in the year	(87		)	(247		)
Settlements
Cash payments	(21		)	(18		)
Settlement gains	(1		)	(1		)
Accretion	57			74
At December 31		$3,078			$2,837
Current portion (note 24)	(156		)	(111		)
		$2,922			$2,726

The eventual settlement of substantially all PERs estimated is expected to take place between 2020 and 2059.

The total PER has decreased in the fourth quarter of 2019 by $511 million primarily due to changes in cost estimates at our Pascua-Lama, Carlin, Golden Sunlight and Cortez properties, combined with the divestment of Kalgoorlie. For the year ended December 31, 2019, our PER balance increased by $241 million primarily due to the contribution of Newmont’s assets to Nevada Gold Mines on July 1, 2019, the acquisition of Randgold on January 1, 2019, and a decrease in the discount rate. These were partially offset by changes in cost estimates primarily at our Pascua-Lama, Pierina, Golden Sunlight, Lagunas Note and Pueblo Viejo properties, combined with the divestment of Kalgoorlie. A 1% increase in the discount rate would result in a decrease in PER by $357 million and a 1% decrease in the discount rate would result in an increase in PER by $207 million, while holding the other assumptions constant.