Mr. Brian Murphy:

We had a considerable input in advance of its announcement in the sense that the Government was concerned about how it might be financed. For example, I was extensively involved, with my colleagues in the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform and Finance, in dealing with the European Investment Bank. I accompanied both Ministers to a couple of meetings with the bank. In that sense, we had an input in how the package might be financed. We also advised extensively on market conditions and the concerns the market might express if the country was to launch a stimulus package and a pipeline of projects. The market experience and information we possessed fed into the process.