Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is clear that the Minister of State and I are not going to see eye to eye on this matter. I am not sure whether he does not understand the position or whether it is just arrogance. Nobody is claiming that NewERA can just start to sell off State assets of its own volition. I am not sure whether the Minister of State is of the view that that is the argument I am putting forward. I must inform him that it is not. He continues to repeat certain things and I am not sure if that is a tactic designed to refute something which has never been suggested in the first instance. We know that what he is saying about NewERA is not the issue because the body does not have the power to sell off State assets of its own volition. I am concerned about the power that can be conferred on the agency, and what we are seeking in that regard is a safety net.

I have already pointed out that Ministers have the power to sell shares, down to a certain level in some cases and in their entirety in others. The Bill, however, allows the Government to use NewERA to project manage and provide advice on reorganising and restructuring semi-state bodies or the sale or disposal of assets. If the Government is intent on selling off State assets, this is one of the tools it will employ. We are seeking to avail of the opportunity to ensure there will be some basic level of protection in the legislation to ensure directions will be given.

The argument of the Minister of State in respect of section 42 is pitiful, suggesting that since the previous Government did it, the Government is simply leaving it the way it is. This will probably remind the Minister of State of Uisce Éireann, because the Uisce Éireann legislation rightly has a section stating that the Minister cannot sell off the shares. All it means is that when the Government decides to sell off Uisce Éireann, if ever it does, it must come before the Houses and seek approval. It means the initial legislation will have to be amended. The argument the Minister of State is making in respect of section 42 works in exactly the same way, because up until 2009 that was not possible.

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