The former secretary general of the Department of Finance Kevin Cardiff revealed how he was asked to report to taoiseach Brian Cowen if he felt Brian Lenihan's illness was affecting his ability as minister for finance.

This emerges in a book on Ireland's banking crash written by Mr Cardiff called, Recap: Inside Ireland's Financial Crisis.

Mr Cardiff said he received “low-key messages” from Mr Cowen’s staff to be “sensitive” to the minister’s situation and, “of course, to report to the taoiseach if it seemed to me that the illness was reaching a point where he could not function properly”.

Preventing infection

Mr Cardiff, who worked closely with the minister throughout the financial crisis, learned of Mr Lenihan’s pancreatic cancer “at the same time as everybody else” when

Ursula Halligan

broadcast it on

TV3

in December 2009. He described the news as “something of a blow”.

To minimise the risk of infection to the minister, hand-sanitisation stations appeared around the department, especially in the passage to Mr Lenihan’s office, and staff were told to be “sure to use them”.

“A reclining chair was brought into his office, so that he could rest when he needed to,” Mr Cardiff said.

Efforts were also made to manage the minister’s workflow and Mr Cardiff said he became a “better minister” after his diagnosis.

“He seemed more focused, he conducted his business more efficiently, by prioritising more, and he reduced his external appointments and so had less distraction,” he said.