In the past week, the economist Peter Bacon has joined the chorus of voices who are, in polite language, saying the Government's plan to sell the harvesting rights to Coillte represents economic and financial madness. The plan is to give away a vital resource that could generate many jobs and considerable revenue for the State. It could be given away for a song. Incredibly, at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Finance and Public Expenditure last week, NTMA representatives could not tell me about their valuation of Coillte lands. They said they would revert to us but they still have not done so. There are rumours that they are grossly undervaluing the harvesting rights associated with Coillte lands.

Is this on promised legislation?

Will the forestry Bill come before this House before the Taoiseach concludes any deal to sell off our forestry, or will he allow for some debate in this House on the merits, or otherwise, of the sale of our national forestry to, say, Swiss wealth asset managers or the Chinese Government?

We have made it clear that, in the Government decision on this matter, it is the timber and not the land that is being sold.

We all know that.

The land is retained in State ownership for the people. The forestry Bill is expected in the coming weeks. The Deputy will have ample time to ventilate his views on this. The gentleman to whom the Deputy referred, Mr. Bacon, has been involved in producing reports for the country over the years and the results have not always been as he expected.

There is no doubt about the madness of giving away our trees.

Order, please.