Professor Declan McGonagle:

About 83% of our spend is on payroll and pensions. There is then a set of goods and services for the college and what I would call local expenditure in relation to departmental work in some of the discipline areas on materials and some equipment.

That is how the costs are broken down. The 82% is governed by national agreements and arrangements. The remaining percentage, in what has been a steeply declining budget since 2009, covers goods and services and the use of materials by Departments.

The board has monthly accounts to hand, comparisons are made between expenditure and budget and it is also involved in budget planning. At this time of year we learn our allocation for 2015 and we will have our board meeting next week. It is true to say that finance has dominated the full board's agenda since the period 2008-09.