The Freedom of Information Act has never produced such fruit as the Department of Finance's three-year overview of Ireland's prospects, and it is likely to be a long time before it does so again.
In politics, knowledge is power. Usually, memoranda to the cabinet rarely enter the public arena and stay within a circle of senior ministers, political advisers and top civil servants.
The rarity of such documents reaching the public arena makes the accidental release of the documents by the Department of Foreign Affairs in response to a freedom of information request from the Sunday Tribune even more bizarre.
Yesterday, senior figures in Iveagh House, who are used to thinking of themselves as the elite of the civil service, were glum-faced, as they took responsibility for the blunder.
A Government statement was terse: "As a result of inquiries which have been made, it is believed that the confidential material regarding Government finances was released inadvertently by the Department of Foreign Affairs in its response to a request under the Freedom of Information legislation.
"The relevant procedures are being reviewed as a matter of urgency," it said.
In some ways, the result could have been worse for the Government. A mistake, however embarrassing, at least does away with the need for a Garda investigation, which would have caused the Government more PR troubles. owever, disciplinary action could still be taken against any Foreign Affairs official, or officials deemed responsible for the blunder or for failing to stop it, if an internal review so decides.
In some ways, however, the surprise is not that these documents managed to reach a newspaper, but, rather, that cabinet memoranda are so rarely published, given that often dozens of copies can be in existence. Such rare leakages, however, reflect and pay tribute to, or condemn, depending on the point of view, the culture of secrecy that pervades most elements of Ireland's governing classes.
The security restrictions surrounding cabinet papers differ depending on their sensitivity.
More run-of-the-mill memoranda are circulated by Departments four or five days before a cabinet meeting.
In such cases, copies are sent to the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Finance, the Attorney General and to any other minister who could be reasonably expected to be affected by a proposal from a colleague.
Besides ministers, advisers and senior officials would hold copies of these type of papers, although a strict record of any photocopies made from them is supposed to be made, and safely put aside.
However, the secrecy precautions can be increased.
On some occasions, copies are numbered and a record kept of which minister got which copy, so that inquiries could be held afterwards.
