5.2.1 Payroll The staff appropriations are made up of the remuneration of permanent staff, the contributions to the special “pensions” appropriation account (CAS) and the funds to pay the salaries of external staff. Up to 95% of the available staff appropriations were consumed (for 87% consumed in 2015), because the phenomenon of frictional vacancy was not as marked in 2016. Moreover, consumption of external collaboration appropriations – which had already risen sharply in 2015 – climbed by another 27% (€285,000 was consumed in 2016 versus €223,000 in 2015); this is tied in with the increase in the number of external inspectors and more generous compensation for their participation in the institution's work (contribution to drafting the thematic reports newly published by the institution in 2016). 5.2.2 The operating credits The operating credits are mainly meant to cover the rent of the premises located in the 19 th arrondissement of Paris, travel expenses and the day-to-day running of the institution. The 2016 allowance opened in operating credits was €0.946m in commitment authorisations and €1.020m in payment appropriations. Given that the institution's lease (its primary expense item) was taken out in 2015 for a six year period, the level of budget commitment in 2016 is low. It only concerns the other expense items: mission expenses and general running of the institution, for an amount consumed in 2016 of €630,000 of commitment authorisation. On the other hand, in terms of payment appropriations, management in 2016 proved extremely delicate particularly owing to the budgetary regulation measure which cut the institution's resources – at a time when it was obliged to assume major adjustments in rental expenses for the previous year, for a higher amount (€40,000). However, tight management of the overhead and travel expenses helped to "tie up" the fiscal year with all of the appropriations opened having been consumed, and additional financing of the programme which offset the amount of the budgetary regulation measure for €36,000. Distribution of items of operating expenditure as on 1 December 2016 in payment appropriations Rent Mission expenses Operating expenses IT Communication = 0,00 0,05 0,10 0,15 0,20 0,25 0,30 0,35 0,40 0,45 Millions 123