Mr. Stephen Bell:

The numbers the Senator refers to do not include the 8,000 who are no longer in arrears because of the efforts we have made directly and through working with them. We told the committee on the previous two occasions we met it that until the courts system works more effectively, there will be a bunching of cases in long arrears. This year we have seen a 36% reduction in the cases that are 90 to 720 days in arrears. That has been offset by the fact that those cases which the court cannot handle efficiently are rising. We are very much committed to maintaining our investments.