THERE WILL NOT NOW BE ANY SELLING OFF OF THE COILLTE HARVESTING RIGHTS - KENNY

Posted on June 19, 2013 5:41 PM   |   Permanent Link   

Dublin Bay North Labour TD Seán Kenny has welcomed the announcement by Government that the harvesting rights for Coillte will not be sold.

"I am very happy that following the development of a number of detailed financial, technical and other specialist reports in 2012 by external specialist consultancy bodies, in full consultation with the Board of Coillte and its executive management, and following the raising of several issues by various interest groups, including, amongst others, the issue of public access to the forests, replanting obligations to ensure the continued existence of our forests, harvesting policy, the supply of timber to sawmills, that Government have realised that if Coillte's harvesting rights were to be sold off, would have major implications, and has therefore decided not to proceed with selling any part of Coillte."

"Instead the Government has decided to focus on the need to restructure Coillte as a company, to address the issues that were identified. Coillte is to undergo a fundamental restructuring, which will make it a better company to best serve the Irish people and this will be involve a robust analysis to evaluate how to give effect to a beneficial merger of Coillte with Bord na Mona to create a streamlined and refocused commercial state company operating in the bio-energy and forestry sectors, as committed to in the Programme for Government. A priority in this regard will be the annual delivery of a material financial dividend to the State by Coillte."

"There was a great deal of unhappiness that the harvesting rights of Coillte were to be sold off, and I was contacted by many people over the last few months on the matter. The original decision to sell of Coillte's harvesting rights is something that was decided when Fianna Fáíl marched the country into its deal with The Troika. Today's reversal of the decision made back in 2011 shows that Labour in Government does make a difference."