Results 4,041-4,060 of 10,790 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: Okay, 50,000 ha is the answer. This is what I mean about being brief because the Chairman will cut me short and that is why I want to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: I will try. The 50,000 ha is a joint venture with Gresham House. What are they, the partners to Coillte, bringing to the table?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: They are going to be-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: Are they bringing the funds?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: What is Coillte bringing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: Who will own the land?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: It will be Coillte's partners who own the land?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: So, Coillte which is a State-owned company, will enter into a partnership with a fund, will provide all of the expertise and the experience of a State-owned company as developed over the past number of decades and will do this to draw down grants from the Government to, at the end of the day, have 5,000 ha of Irish land in essentially private, non-domestic ownership.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: I am coming to that in a minute but let me state the difficulty I have about the commercial activity. We have spoken before and the witnesses will be aware I am passionate about Ireland reaching its afforestation targets. As I have said a million times, it needs to be good for communities, good for the economy and good for the environment. In every single debate we have had, I have pointed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: Coillte has mentioned it is not trying to supplant private contractors or smaller domestic foresters. I remember when this State had a good housing policy, when I was on the council first and when local authorities bought up houses quite regularly. One policy my local council had, for example, was if it was planning to bid on a house but found out that a local first-time buyer was also...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: I have asked a specific question. When the fund or joint venture is operational and is looking at land, if it transpires that another forester is planning and has an eye to the same land and with a view to what already has been said about the fears of land price acceleration, will Coillte ensure the joint venture is instructed to step back in such instances?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: But in principle?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: I know the witnesses have indicated they cannot or will not deal with the specifics of what potential companies with which Coillte is engaging but we can take Gresham House as an example of the type of companies that are engaged in this type of activity. The witnesses may be aware of some very serious concerns within Scotland where a member of the Scottish Parliament, when describing a joint...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: When Ms Hurley says "in due course", I presume she means after contracts have been signed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: Let me ask, when the formal announcement is made, will it be a fait accompli? It will be just for the information of the public.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: I am sorry but it is a fairly simple question. Will Coillte be announcing the proposed arrangement or the finalised arrangement?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: Before that does Coillte consider that it needs the approval of their shareholders, as they describe the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: Thus, the answer is "No".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: Thus, the answer is "No".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Strategic Vision: Coillte (13 Dec 2022)

Matt Carthy: I am asking whether those consents will include approval from the Department. The answer I have been given by Ms Hurley is that such consent is not required, as far as Coillte is concerned.