Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The sale of State assets on the expenditure side is within the responsibility of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, so I am not the expert on it. His position is that in the course of this year, probably towards the back end of this year, the sale of that portion of Bord Gáis which he announced will be under way and completed, and two power stations abroad will also be sold. One is in Spain and the other is in the UK. We have also taken the legislation through the Government and the heads of a Bill have been sent to the draftsman. That is the NewERA legislation, which includes the strategic investment fund. That will be vested with an advisory function on future sales of assets. No State assets, bar the national lottery, are included in this arithmetic.