In yesterday's column by Vincent Browne it was stated that on the night he became Taoiseach, Mr John Bruton "hotfooted it to dine" with a "high net worth individual", having held the first meeting of his Government at Aras an Uachtarain.

This was untrue. Mr Bruton fulfilled a number of engagements in Dublin and in his constituency on the evening he became Taoiseach. No meeting such as the one described by Vincent Browne took place on this evening.

The facts of this report were not checked with Mr Bruton prior to publication. The Irish Times wishes to express its regrets to Mr Bruton for this lapse and for the publication of inaccurate information.

The closing date for applications to the Glen Dimplex Design Awards was incorrectly given as November 2nd on the fashion page in Monday's editions. In fact, the closing date is tomorrow, October 2nd.

Where errors occur it is the policy of The Irish Times to correct or clarify as soon as practicable.

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