Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht an fáilte a chur sé roimh an gcinneadh Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí a bheith againn ar an Déardaoin. I am happy to give him clear and concise answers and, in return, I hope the questions will be equally clear and concise.

He asked me to respond to the decision he claims the Government has made in respect of selling the remaining share in Aer Lingus. No such decision has been made. He also asked me to respond to what he said was a decision made by the Government to sell 25% of ESB. No decision has been made in respect of the percentage of shareholding in ESB to be sold. The Government has considered the necessity of selling some State assets in order to deal with the financial circumstances in which the country has been put and to raise money for investment in job creation. The Government's decision in respect of ESB is to sell a minority shareholding. The company will not be broken up, a course of action I heard somebody advocating on a radio programme this morning. It will be retained as a single entity in the national interest. A decision has been made by the Government to sell a minority shareholding but the manner in which that sale will take place, the amount of the shareholding to be sold and the issue of finding a compatible investor are matters that will be addressed by the Ministers for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and Public Expenditure and Reform. They will report to Government on these matters by the end of November.

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