Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I did not say that in any reply this morning. I will try to deal with the series of questions the Deputy asked. As to when we will receive the money from the sales of assets, the sales must first be signed off and concluded. Bids have been accepted but there is a process involved. For example, as we saw in the case of the national lottery licence, a secure transition of staff is required. This often requires the intervention of the Labour Court, ballots by staff members and so on, and takes a little while. For this reason, in the case of the national lottery, the issue has not yet been fully nailed down. While I cannot say definitively when the various transactions will be completed, the transactions involving the national lottery, Bord Gáis Energy and Marchwood Power should all be concluded this year.

We must adhere to a process. As I have explained previously, we cannot bring all the money in the energy sector onto the public balance sheet in one year. We must comply with EUROSTAT requirements on such matters. As a result, the revenues will have an impact on more than one year's Exchequer returns.

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