Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 96: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in view of a comment he made in a recent interview regarding State assets and stated we are assured by people who know - and we have sent them out to check, if he will identify these persons and the actions they took in their investigations. [25963/12]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The particular comments of mine to which the Deputy's question refers dealt with the potential market appetite for the assets that the Government proposes to sell under the State asset disposal programme, which I announced in February. The NewERA unit of the National Treasury Management Agency is acting as the Government's financial advisor in respect of this disposal programme and has, since it was established last summer, met with a wide variety of market participants in order, inter alia, to gauge the potential market appetite for the State assets. NewERA has already prepared comprehensive financial reports on Bord Gáis Energy and Coillte, including detailed analysis of the market appetite for the companies or their assets, which have been submitted and considered by the relevant inter-departmental Steering Groups overseeing preparation of the assets for sale. I should add that the relevant Government departments, including my own, have also met with interested parties to discuss the issues. As possible transactions come closer and in the interests of transparency, I have put these contacts on a more structured footing with a formal protocol governing departments' engagement with market participants/advisors in the context of the disposal programme. All such contacts are now being coordinated by NewERA.