Mr. Eamonn O'Sullivan:

The calculation is quite cumbersome. I do not profess to understand it in detail but it is there so we must operate it.

The challenge for us, as a sector, is that many of our costs are rising faster than our revenue base, be that revenue base local taxation or commercial rates. That is where the value-for-money work that NOAC does comes into play, in addition to our continuing to deliver on efficiencies and a programme of ensuring the local government sector is lean and making the best use of the scarce resources available to us.