Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he expects to be the shareholder on behalf of the State for any new commercial semi-State entities or State companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2828/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Commercial semi-State companies are generally established with two Ministers holding shares or capital stock on behalf of the Government – the relevant Minister with responsibility for the sector in which the company is operating and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, who is the Minister with overall responsibility for the commercial State sector. This position notwithstanding, the appropriate ownership structure to be used for any new commercial semi-State entity or State company will be a matter for consideration at the appropriate time, on a case by case basis, having regard to the functions the entity is to perform and the most appropriate structure to achieve this. EU or other legislative provisions governing the ownership of such entities (such as, for example, EU provisions on ownership unbundling in the energy sector) or other relevant factors, and also the type of structure that would best facilitate any plans for the future development or expansion of the entity, will also be taken into account. The final ownership structure to be used in any particular instance will be the one that best achieves the Government's objectives while protecting the public interest.