Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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424. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he sought a report from NewERA before he considered the approval of the agreement between Coillte and a company (details supplied); if so, the conclusions of any such assessment; if he will publish the assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5437/23]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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425. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he or any officials within his Department attended meetings in 2022, relating to forestry, which included representatives of a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5454/23]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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426. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he or any officials within his Department were included in correspondence in 2022, relating to forestry, which included representatives of a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5455/23]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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427. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he or his Department officials were in contact with their counterparts in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, regarding the joint venture between Coillte and a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5456/23]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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428. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the dates he or his officials met with Coillte to discuss it’s proposed joint venture with a company (details supplied); the attendees, the agenda, and the minutes of such meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5457/23]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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429. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he had any communication with the Irish Strategic Investment Fund in 2022, relating to forestry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5458/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 424, 425, 426, 427, 428 and 429 together.

Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and is operationally independent from the Minister and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I am, therefore, not in position to comment on any operational issues relating to the establishment of the new investment fund.  I will pass any operational queries on the Fund to Coillte for direct response to the Deputy.  

As I have previously outlined, neither my Department nor myself were involved in the establishment of the Fund. The question of consent or approval by the shareholding Ministers does not arise in relation to Coillte’s role in providing services to the Irish Strategic Forestry Fund. It is an operational matter for Coillte and they were under no obligation to seek consent.  

Neither I nor my officials met with representatives of the company named, nor were we included in correspondence in 2022 which included representatives of that company. Neither did I nor my officials have any communication with the Irish Strategic Forestry Fund in 2022. It's important to note that this is not a joint venture  but rather a management agreement between the Irish Strategic Forestry Fund (not the company named) and Coillte.

While mention was made by Coillte of entering into arrangements to enable  increased afforestation as part of their overall Strategy at  meetings dating back to 2021, the full details of the Fund were confirmed by Coillte in correspondence to me on 16 December.

The operational arrangements between Coillte and the Fund were not a matter for consent by the shareholders i.e. myself and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, and therefore there was no contact between my officials and counterparts in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on the matter.  Furthermore as this is an operational matter for Coillte no approval was sought or given by the shareholders and therefore no engagement with NewERA was undertaken on the matter.

As I outlined at the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee last week, Coillte has made a consent request for possible investment in the Fund in the future. As per normal procedure, my Department forwarded this consent request to NewEra for analysis. On receipt of the NewEra report, the shareholding Ministers will make a decision on the consent request.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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430. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he issued a letter of expectation to Coillte in 2022; and if he will provide the details of subsequent correspondence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5459/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies requires that Government  Departments  should  ensure  that  they  have  written  oversight agreements  with  State  bodies  under  their  aegis  which  clearly  define  the terms of the State body’s relationship with the relevant Minister/parent Department.

For commercial State bodies the oversight agreement between the relevant Minister/parent Department and the State body is the Shareholder Expectation Letter.

A Shareholder letter of Expectation issued to Coillte on 2nd June 2022, signed by Minister of State Pippa  Hackett as Minister of State with responsibility for forestry under S.I. 40 of 2021. The Shareholder Letter was co-signed by the then Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath. The Chair of the Coillte Board acknowledged receipt of the letter on 8th June 2022 and undertook to review and to discuss further.

I am giving consideration to the potential release of the letter subject to the standard issues around commercial sensitivities. I will review this matter together with the the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and inform the Deputy and other interested parties of our decision in due course.