Still on matters Telecom: the Minister for Public Enterprise Mary O'Rourke was in fine fettle on her trip to New York last week to signal the start of trading in Telecom shares on Wall Street.

Following her arrival in the Big Apple on Wednesday night, she joined journalists for drinks in the hotel bar. Before leaving, she issued strict instructions that she was to be called early the next morning, in time to have a jacuzzi and to see Telecom chief executive Alfie Kane before the day's proceedings got under way. The Margin assumes the early morning tasks were performed separately.