Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. We had a meeting with Coillte last week, and believe me it was not as clear cut as the Minister of State is telling us here. It was like drawing teeth trying to get answers out of some of them. If the rewarding of the revised state aid was such that the Department has since felt compelled to seek clarity from the Commission, will the Minister of State tell us if revisions around the potential beneficiaries of the afforestation grants and the premia under the revised state aid rules were entirely different to the provisions included in a draft on state aid rules received in January of last year?

Will the Minister of State give us clarity on when the Minister expects a response to his request for clarity from the Commission, and his request for legal advice on the matter? Depending on the advice the Minister gets, is the Department prepared to issue a new statement of expectations to Coillte that the Department does not want to engage in this type of investment? The Minister said it is not his preferred type of deal. Is the Minister of State prepared to look for that legal advice and to make it quite clear to the likes of Coillte that this is once-off deal?

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