Among the voluminous paperwork sitting on the desks of the Dail Public Accounts Committee as it conducts its DIRT inquiry is an extract from the budget debate in 1987 in which the then Taoiseach, referring to the flight of capital out of the economy, said: "The astonishing fact about that outflow of funds is that there has been no precise information about its composition or cause."

This is an interesting assertion, given the identity of the speaker: one Charles Haughey.

For the record, he went on: "On taking up office, we instigated an investigation of the nature and cause of the leakage which is, of course a new phenomenon in our economy. When we get the information we require later this month about the nature of the outflow we will consider what action can be taken to encourage them to return or remain in our economy. The return of these funds would bring significant benefits and have a major impact on interest rates."

Mr Justice Moriarty would surely agree.