I propose to take Questions Nos. 703 to 705, inclusive, together.
Coillte is operationally independent of the Department and the management of their forest estate is a matter for the company.
Under Section 14 of the Forestry Act 1988, ‘the company shall submit to and agree with the Minister each year a programme for the sale and acquisition of land and the sale of timber, whether standing or felled.’ Coillte is fully in compliance with this requirement and provided a letter to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine on 15th April 2021 in which the Chairperson of Coillte affirmed that disposal procedures in accordance with the Code of Practice were in place and operational.
Coillte also operate in compliance with section 8.34 of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies which requires that disposals of land above a value of €150,000 should be by auction or competitive tendering process, other than in exceptional circumstances.
I have made enquiries with the company in relation to this particular matter.
Coillte was approached by an interested party in relation to the purchase of these lands and took a considered decision that the land in question could be made available for sale.
Coillte is aware of both the geology and cultural heritage interests of the site and of the two monuments on the site which are classed as enclosures.
Should the lands sell, Coillte would notify the purchaser (through the legal sales contract) of their obligations in how those monuments are managed and protected.
It is worth noting that any purchaser will have to comply with legal obligations in relation to tree-felling under the Forestry Act 2014.