Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate. If it is any indication of what we will get in the coming weeks on the stability treaty, on which we will be voting, it is fair to say that an enormous amount of misinformation and tripe will be spoken. For example, we heard it tonight concerning Coillte. It is clear that 7% of Coillte's land will not be sold but that it will comprise harvesting rights. The assertion was made that jobs will be lost but the biggest employers in our State are private companies. Those private companies that will be buying some State assets will also give employment. The most ludicrous suggestion of all was that the new company would start cutting down our trees. Since that is a significant part of what Coillte is already doing, the suggestion should be disregarded.

The discussion about the EU-IMF troika programme should also be disregarded, apart from the fact that under Fianna Fáil we were losing €5 billion whereas now we will lose €2 billion net. That is a saving of €3 billion, which joins a long list of savings and corrections to the agreement negotiated by a good and prudent Government.

The most important factor is that it is good business to examine the assets the State already has to see how we can improve them in future by allowing companies to be sold. In my own city of Cork, Bord Gáis is regarded as one of our most important employers. Having met a number of its employees, I know they are remarkably energised by the proposal that their company will have much greater freedom to act. When and if the company is sold, it will most likely secure a good price for the State. I have been struck by the employees who see huge opportunities for them to embrace the fact that their company will be private and not restricted within the semi-State sector as it is currently.

Another myth that must be nailed is that those working in the semi-State companies do not want to be part of realising their economic potential. We have seen a significant movement across a broad range of work areas where people working in private companies have fantastic careers and enjoy the protections that used to be afforded just to the semi-State sector.

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