Tom, No idea on the funding stuff although cuts in the public services have been widely discussed in all the media, how else can we ensure that the bankers have a very happy Christmas! To be honest the issue with the BM kits comes down to taking personal responsibility. I'm tired of listening to the moaning, maybe if people looked after the damn things (for that please read - if only staff didn't just take them home just in case) then we wouldn't even need to consider the problem. Its a job and is it really too much to ask that you look after the tools you need to do the job! So there you go, at least you can be reassured that it isn't just front line staff that get frustrated and sometimes we all get the service we deserve. DSO