Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I attend the economic management council with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Minister for Finance and the Minister with responsibility for public expenditure and reform. Any question of that nature will come before the council which is a Cabinet sub-committee. The Cabinet must also give its approval to any proposals coming from any Minister on the potential sale of State assets. The Government has set out the sale of non-strategic State assets, as may be appropriate in market conditions, up to a value of €2 billion in the period of office of the Government. While Mr. McCarthy published an extensive list of potentially saleable non-strategic assets, amounting to €5 billion, the Government will consider the report and under the conditions I mentioned, the Cabinet will make its decision. As head of the Cabinet and the person who chairs meetings of the economic management council, with my staff I have plenty of independence advice to make a contribution and a judgment on anything that comes before us.

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