Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

Very simply, if you are spending less than you are taking in, then the surplus will increase. One of the things I noted in regard to contributions to the fund, with the growth in the economy and the numbers in employment, is that the contribution rate had also increased. There was much more money coming into the fund than it was spending. Unemployment levels have also dropped. Training is being paid for out of the National Training Fund, both for people in employment and those who are unemployed. My concern was that there was an accumulation of funds when there are areas that have been indicated as being a priority for spending, like apprenticeship training, which were not being delivered. I wanted to draw attention to that.