Lenihan insists lack of detail is to protect the taxpayer

THE Government’s reluctance to divulge the full detail of the EU-IMF negotiations stems from the desire to protect taxpayers, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has insisted.

“If the Government has been reticent in making public comment, it has been in the interest of protecting the taxpayer,” he told the Dáil yesterday.

He said it was the Government’s job in the discussions to “assess the options in light of the facts” and there was no benefit in “jumping to conclusions”.