Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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703. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the fact that 39.5 acres, 16 hectares of forestry land owned by Coillte (details supplied) is for sale; if he will take immediate action to ensure this land is not sold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54193/21]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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704. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Coillte need his permission to sell any or part of its forestry land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54201/21]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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705. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Coillte sought his permission or advice with regard to its decision to put the site at a location (details supplied) up for sale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54202/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 703 to 705, inclusive, together.

Coillte is operationally independent of the Department and the management of their forest estate is a matter for the company.

Under Section 14 of the Forestry Act 1988, ‘the company shall submit to and agree with the Minister each year a programme for the sale and acquisition of land and the sale of timber, whether standing or felled.’ Coillte is fully in compliance with this requirement and provided a letter to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine on 15^thApril 2021 in which the Chairperson of Coillte affirmed that disposal procedures in accordance with the Code of Practice were in place and operational.

Coillte also operate in compliance with section 8.34 of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies which requires that disposals of land above a value of €150,000 should be by auction or competitive tendering process, other than in exceptional circumstances.

I have made enquiries with the company in relation to this particular matter.

Coillte was approached by an interested party in relation to the purchase of these lands and took a considered decision that the land in question could be made available for sale.

Coillte is aware of both the geology and cultural heritage interests of the site and of the two monuments on the site which are classed as enclosures.

Should the lands sell, Coillte would notify the purchaser (through the legal sales contract) of their obligations in how those monuments are managed and protected.

It is worth noting that any purchaser will have to comply with legal obligations in relation to tree-felling under the Forestry Act 2014.