Ms Eileen Fitzpatrick:

We have done an initial report on the possibility. Unquestionably, it is a big undertaking. We are at a phase now where we will be looking at the cost benefits of such an undertaking but there is also another element, which goes back to the point of refocusing and streamlining existing commercial semi-State bodies to evolve into new animals, so to speak, with new focuses. Bord na Móna probably provides an opportunity to be a semi-State body that is looking at exporting wind, helping with the Dublin water supply project, and other green technologies. We are also looking at the production of pulp wood in the State from Coillte and how Bord na Móna uses that. There are some natural linkages in that respect. We are at a very early stage in this process but it does not seem to make sense to do anything pre-emptive with Coillte until we have had time to consider it in the light of that.