Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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533. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on making lands (details supplied) in County Donegal currently in the ownership of Coillte available to the community in Donegal for the purposes of developing a community playground; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21421/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Coillte Teoranta was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act, 1988. The bulk of the State’s forestry estate was vested in Coillte, in accordance with the Forestry Act 1988, upon the company’s establishment in 1989. Day-to-day operational matters, such as the management of the forestry estate, are the responsibility of the company.

The request outlined in the question was, however, brought to the company’s attention to ascertain if it was aware of it. Coillte advised that it has had no approaches with regard to lands mentioned from any community group looking to develop playground or other such facilities. The company added that such approaches are handled at local level by the company’s forest manager who considers them in the context of Coillte’s strategic management plans for the forest and the wider Business Area Unit in which it is located.