Minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy must be wondering if it is possible to have too much of a good thing. As forecasts for the Exchequer surplus were once again raised this week - only for economists to immediately accuse his officials of still being too cautious in their figures - there was an increasing clamour from interest groups looking to spend that surplus for him.

The unions want extra benefits for workers suffering the effects of inflation running at 6.2 per cent and wiping out their gains under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.

Farmers think they should be receiving a helping hand to offset declining incomes and a flight from the land. Still others want it spent on items ranging from national infrastructure to Third World aid and from cutting tax on share options to childcare. On the other hand, there are calls to use the money to pay off national debt and beseeching words from Europe and elsewhere to the effect that we should be salting it away and doing anything other than giving it back to taxpayers to further increase consumer spending.

Of course, he could always give Mary Harney a little extra for the new Corporate Enforcement Agency. . .