Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 30: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the protocol on meetings with market participants / advisors, in the context of the announcement on the disposal of State assets includes a protective measure that ensures that the Government's advisers on the disposal in any capacity cannot and will not act as advisers to prospective bidders. [28259/12]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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As the Deputy's question notes, in the interests of transparency and as possible transactions get closer, I have issued a protocol governing meetings between Government departments and market participants/advisors in the context of the assets disposal programme that I announced in February. All such meetings are now being coordinated by the NewERA unit of the National Treasury Management Agency, which is acting as the Government's financial advisor in respect of the disposal programme.

The procurement of advisors to advise the Government on any transaction under the asset disposal process is a totally separate process which will be carried out, in each instance, in accordance with relevant national and EU procurement guidelines, with the design of each process taking into consideration the specific circumstances of the transaction involved. The asset disposals will be transacted via open, transparent, and competitive processes in order to ensure that the State achieves value for any assets being sold. I can assure the Deputy that the processes for the procurement of Government advisors will be designed in such a way as to ensure that any individual or company that is eventually engaged to advise the Government on a particular transaction under the asset disposal programme will be doing so on the basis that they cannot advise any of the prospective bidders in relation to that transaction.