Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 April 2013
521. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the concerns of an organisation (details supplied); if he will outline his views on the ownership of Coillte; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18266/13]
View answerI have noted the concerns of the Donegal Woodland Owners Society Limited, as conveyed by the Deputy and a number of other Oireachtas Members. By way of update on the matter, further to the Government’s decision that a concession for the harvesting rights to Coillte’s forests be considered for sale, NewERA, Coillte, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and my Department have worked to examine the financial and other implications of developing the potential of Coillte’s forest assets. Substantial work has been undertaken to date on the identification of the forestry assets involved, the determination of their value and the consideration of a number of issues associated with the proposed sale of the harvesting rights. These include, inter alia, the possible impact on the timber industry, public access to recreational land, environmental and social impacts and consequential implications for the company. I note that these are also the issues raised by the Donegal Woodland Owners Society Limited.
The Government is fully conscious of such concerns in relation to the Coillte sale proposal. A number of these issues were also discussed in the Dáil debate on the proposal on 26 and 27 February last. While the consideration process is at an advanced stage, no decision has yet been taken. The outcome of the overall analysis will be considered by the Government upon its conclusion. In relation to the ownership of the company, Coillte was established as a private company in accordance with the Forestry Act 1988, which also provided for the issue of shares to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. It is therefore a State owned company. I wish to reiterate that it is the sale of the harvesting rights to Coillte’s forests that is under consideration and not the sale of the land or the company.
