Mr. Joe Hamill:

My recollection of last year is that we managed to spend about 99% of our programme funding but we made some savings on the administration side. We have given some back in recent years. I have been handed the figures for 2013. On the arts side, we spent 99.98% of our programme funding and on the heritage side, including a deferred surrender taken over from the previous year, we spent 99.83%. On the Irish language, Gaeltacht and islands, we spent 99.74% and on North-South co-operation we spent 99.71%. On the programme side, given the pressure on bodies and resources, we tried to use resources as much as we could. Some of the difference last year was down to appropriations-in-aid. We had a total surplus of €348,000 in 2013, with a €1.25 million appropriations-in-aid difference. We brought in more appropriations-in-aid than we expected. The overall surplus of €1.6 million went back to the Exchequer but we spent almost everything we were given for the programme money.