The Government wants the millenniun to be commemorated "in a thoughtful, distinctive way and yet not lose the run of ourselves on the spending side", said the Chief Whip, Mr Seamus Brennan.
Writing in Link-Up, magazine of the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin, Mr Brennan, who is also chairman of the National Millennium Committee, said "celebrating the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Christ in many aspects makes the millennium essentially a Christian festival. The National Millennium Committee feels a proper tone must be set and themes identified that best reflect a caring, evolving society."