Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have consistently said throughout the debate on the harvesting rights issue that we want to do two things. First, we need to protect the asset, in terms of woodland, parkland, public access, trails, cycle ways and other amenities, that is the national forest estate that is of real public interest. Second, we need to ensure the industry that has been built up in accessing timber from Coillte forests remains intact.

In the context of any sale, those considerations are paramount and they will remain so. I hope I have some credibility when I say that we do not want to undermine the public access to mature and not so mature forests and the amenities in which Coillte has invested and built up, particularly in recent years but also during the past number of decades. The Deputies will have to accept my word for it when I say that the policy we are currently considering will protect that asset because it is a valuable State asset that we should not compromise. I cannot be any clearer than that.

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