THE Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Mr. Bruton, could scarcely conceal his surprise at the number of reporters who turned up to quiz him at the official launch of the Commission on the Newspaper Industry.

For several hacks it was standing room only.

The Minister welcomed the assembled ensemble and said he wondered whether the big turnout was testament to the importance of the report, or how closely guarded it had been.

The report, had of course appeared extensively in the newspapers before its "official launch". The Minister seemed somewhat peeved when asked for his reaction to the report, on the day that all national newspapers published it. "I was surprised to read details of the report in three of this morning's newspapers before I had an opportunity to study it in detail, or brief my colleagues on its contents," he said.