A public information campaign on Ireland's changeover to the euro will begin next month, the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, told the House. Reporting on last weekend's European Council meeting on Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), he said that extensive preparations had been made for the changeover. The Government had approved the drafting of the EMU Bill, 1998, which it intended to enact before the end of the summer, Mr McCreevy said.

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said it would have been preferable if Britain had participated in EMU from the outset.

"The trading relationship between North and South is becoming stronger all the time and I would not expect it to be affected adversely in any serious way during, we hope, the few short years when we still have an exchange rate between us."

Mr Ahern noted that Ireland would not be represented on the European Central Bank board but said he hoped Finland, which had secured a position, would "provide a voice for smaller countries".