LAST week's presentation of the Exchequer returns for 1996 was the last appearance in his current role as Budget maestro of Mr Fred Foster, who for the past seven years has been grappling with the intricacies of the Government accounting system and producing figures on such conversation stoppers as the general government deficit and non-programme outlays.

Known fondly by his colleagues as the "number cruncher", Fred has been responsible for telling the Government whether it is on course for Maastricht.

Over the past 12 months "the cruncher"

has been introducing officials in Latvia to the joys of managing Exchequer returns and the like and is due for another stint there following this month's Budget package. After that he is due for a move elsewhere in Finance.