Ms Maeve Donovan:

Insofar as editorial policy is dictated by the memorandum of the trust, that is a set issue. To clarify a little bit how editorial policy flows from the board, it is set in the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Irish Times Trust. That is devolved for discussion where there would be major issues, addressing policy to the board of Irish Times Limited. However, the board, in large part, allows those issues to devolve to the editor and the editorial team. On a day-to-day basis, that is how it works. The structure in The Irish Timesgives a more clearly defined and higher level of protection and independence to the editor than might be the case in other structures.