CJ saw exam leaks as like IRA collusion

FORMER Taoiseach Charlie Haughey equated the threat of exam papers being leaked to international espionage and collusion with the IRA when he launched the Official Secrets Bill more than 40 years ago.

The bizarre link was made in March 1962, when the then Justice Minister gave examples including Soviet Union KGB spies, paramilitary organisations’ cross-border actions, and a leaked 1960 exam paper, as reasons why the pre-Independence secrecy act needed “modernising” and updating.

In their 1994 book Democracy Blindfolded: The Case for a Freedom of Information Act in Ireland, Patrick Smyth and Ronan Brady recalled how Mr Haughey made the unexpected connection.