Results 13,261-13,280 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: I have told the Deputy that the Government decision is not to proceed with the sale of Coillte harvesting rights and that we are embarking on a completely different process, which is to do a complete restructuring of Coillte and explore a merger of Coillte with Bord na Móna in order to establish a new bioenergy company. That is our focus. The NewERA entity will be instructed to explore...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: The Deputy is deliberately conflating the two issues, but I will try again.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: Coillte itself sells future harvesting rights regularly. Is the Deputy asking me to stop that? I will not do that. It has been done for 20 years.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: I have not taken Aer Lingus off the for sale list. It is not for sale now because it is not appropriate until we see what the impact of-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: Aer Lingus is not for sale now because it does not make sense strategically for Ireland. Until we see the shape of the airline industry, access and so on-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: Can I answer the question? That is the view of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. I repeat the point I made to Deputy Fleming. It is a tiny part in terms of the overall value. On the Deputy's other question on whether I regard the sale of the harvesting rights of Coillte as strategic, I do not.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: If the Deputy asked the question, I will answer it. We grow trees for the purpose. Coillte is a commercial State company.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: It is not growing trees for ornamentation, although it sells Christmas trees for ornamentation. It is a producer of timber for the timber industry. Just as a farmer grows crops for sale, it would be perverse to think one could not sell the crops. We will sell the trees but the proposal to do an advanced sale on the basis we had proposed is completely different.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: The Deputy has put a nonsensical twist on what I said.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: Not as long as I have any say in the matter.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: Yes.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: We are engaged in ongoing discussions with the troika which evolve. Obviously, not everything is on the agenda right now. We do not know the value which will accrue from our holdings. We have delivered on every commitment we have made to the troika.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: It is not.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: I need to finish my answer. We have built up an understanding with the troika. Unlike the previous Administration-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: It goes to the core of what we are discussing. It understands that, as we have delivered on everything else, we will deliver on this.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: I am trying to explain the situation. The first thing I negotiated was whether I could invest the money before we reached the €3 billion target. That is why I was able to announce it in advance. It is not, as the Deputy is implying, the case that until we get €3 billion in the bank, we cannot start spending. That is not the agreement. We do not know what will accrue but we...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: We are very confident that the stimulus plan I have announced so far will be fully funded. I hope and am very confident that more stimulus plans will flow in addition to that.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: I answered that.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: I have already answered that question. It is not, in the sense that we can start spending the money immediately, before €3 billion accrues to the State from the sale of State assets. Is that clear?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Disposal of State Assets and Quarterly Review: Discussion with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Jun 2013)
Brendan Howlin: That is a reasonable way of putting it.