Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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135. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the disposal of Coillte telecommunications infrastructure in 2015 to a company (details supplied) was approved; the discussions held with the then Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in advance of the approval; if he or the former Minister raised concerns with him and Coillte on the potential implications of disposal of this asset on the future ownership model for the national broadband plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21256/19]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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145. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the disposal of Coillte telecommunications infrastructure in 2015 to a company (details supplied) was approved; the discussions held with the then Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the then Minister in advance of the approval; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21257/19]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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146. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the disposal of Coillte telecommunications infrastructure in 2015 to a company (details supplied) was approved; the discussions held with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in advance of the approval; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21258/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 135, 145 and 146 together.

The sale of Coillte’s telecoms business in 2015 was fully approved by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in accordance with paragraph 14.1 of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies (2009). The sale was in line with a Government Decision taken in June 2013 that Coillte undergo a fundamental restructuring overseen by NewERA and the relevant stakeholder Departments.

The objective of the restructuring was to create a streamlined and refocused state company, concentrating on its core activities in the bio-energy and forestry sector. The telecoms business, which Coillte had built as part of its non-core activities, was therefore offered for sale. This sale was completed in 2015 after consent had been received from the two shareholding Ministers.

There were ongoing discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform during the consideration of the proposed disposal, with observations also sought, and received from the then Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (now the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment) as part of the consideration process.