Professor Philip Lane:

Professor Honohan mentioned last week that he met Mr. Brian Lenihan.

I was in a meeting in June 2008 where there was a discussion on fiscal matters. I wrote a paper in 2007 and a couple of co-ed pieces, which said the economy was slowing down and we needed to have an adjustment to our fiscal strategy. I had another meeting with Brian Lenihan around that time and I also met him in mid-September 2008 to talk about the fiscal situation. In January 2009, Professor Honohan and I met him again. There was no agenda and the meetings involved very casual conversations.

In 2010 I wrote a report for an Oireachtas committee on the fiscal framework, how to set up a fiscal council and fiscal rules. In that structured way I was involved in that element, but apart from that the answer is "No".