Pity the poor Revenue Commissioners. Having had a roasting at the Public Accounts Committee the boys in Dublin Castle cannot, it appears, even rely on the Minister for Finance for support. Previously the Minister could be relied upon to row in behind the Revenue and present a united front. But in a speech at the launch of taxation booklets by the Institute of Taxation this week, Charlie McCreevy struck a critical note, welcoming the publication of Revenue Commssioner manuals released under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

"We are all of course the customers of the Revenue Commissioners; we pay for their services with our taxes and we have every right to the fullest information on their operation which is consistent with their function."

A straw in the wind, perhaps, of future changes to be made on foot of the report of the Public Accounts Committee?