Vol. 405 No. 3
82 Tomás Mac Giolla asked the Minister for Finance if, in the light of the comments made by the Minister for Labour during his recent address to the conference on Efficiency and Effectiveness in the Public Domain, he will outline the public sector companies the Government plan to open up to private interests; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Government do not have any list of companies which they are proposing to open up to private sector interests in the sense to which the Deputy seems to be referring. In the course of the address in question the Minister for Labour stated that, where appropriate, the Government are prepared to consider the question of private sector involvement in State trading bodies. There is nothing new or novel in this. As the Deputy is aware, this Government have no ideological or doctrinaire approach to such questions. We are always open to suggestions as to how State companies can play a more effective role in maximising their contribution to the economy and securing the future of their employees. In this regard the Deputy will be aware that many State companies are already involved in joint venture with private sector companies. Since the Deputy tabled his question we have seen the publication of the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, which sets out clearly the agreed views of all concerned on the commercial State sector, including the question of private participation.
