Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Okay. State aid rules have been cited not as a reason but as the primary reason. That is what Coillte told us when its representatives appeared before the committee in December and that is what the party leader of the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, has said, namely, that this is down to EU state aid rules. I ask the Minister to be as concise as possible but what efforts have he and his Department made to ensure that state aid rules are changed to allow Coillte to directly invest without the need for a joint venture?