Mr. Brendan McDonagh:

Senator, my understanding is that the Minister for Finance was advised to go home, to have a rest because that was late in the night and that he would be up early in the morning to be back in for the press conference which I think was at a quarter to seven that morning. So whether he wanted to go home, I wasn't in the room, I'm just relating to you as a third party who wasn't in the room what I heard. Because when I went in to meet the Taoiseach I was surprised the Minister for Finance wasn't there, I probably mentioned in passing I wonder where Minister Lenihan was and it was said, "Oh he's gone because he's to be up early in the morning to do the press conference." That's all I know Deputy, there's nothing more and nothing less.