The very first Bill on the A list for the summer session is the forestry Bill, which promises to support the development of a modern forestry sector which enshrines the principle of sustainable forestry management and protection of the environment. Of course, the privatisation of our forests would conflict with all that. When will that Bill be published? We were told very recently by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, that the Cabinet would make a decision very shortly on the future of Coillte, which manages our forests, and particularly whether the Government would press ahead with the privatisation of Coillte or think better and not do so. Can the Taoiseach tell us if that decision has been made and how it relates to this Bill?

I am also interested in the electoral (amendment) Bill and the local government Bill, which are also high on the list, at numbers five and seven. Can the Taoiseach confirm that the local and European elections for next year will be brought forward from June to May and that these Bills will enshrine the changes in constituencies or local electoral areas? When might we have sight of this legislation?

In regard to the Seanad, the Taoiseach said - if I heard him correctly - that the Bill for abolition of the Seanad would be published next week. Does that mean it will be taken in this session and concluded before the Dáil rises for the summer? What is the agenda?

The answer to the last question is yes, it does. The forestry Bill was published on 24 April. The heads for the electoral (amendment) Bill were cleared on 30 April and the Bill will be taken this session, as will the local government Bill.

Deputy Higgins raised a matter about Coillte. He will be aware, following the Government's decision that the harvesting rights of Coillte's forests be considered for sale, that at the Government's request the National Treasury Management Agency via the NewERA unit was actively engaged with Coillte, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in recent months to examine the financial and other implications of a potential transaction. Evidence gathered from similar transactions completed in other jurisdictions indicated that a transaction can be structured such in a manner as to ensure the maintenance of the open forest policy, reflecting public access to recreational lands, which has been raised here, the preservation of existing replanting obligations and the incorporation of biodiversity requirements. All these things can be accommodated. This process has included engagement with potential acquirers of harvesting rights when requested by them in accordance with the published Government protocol and the two Departments have also met the interested stakeholders to discuss their position on the potential sale of harvesting rights. As part of the process they met the Coillte group of unions on 25 January and outlined the process involved. This matter will come back to Government and the finalisation of all those details by the National Treasury Management Agency and NewERA will be considered. Then the Government will make a decision.

When?

As Deputy Higgins is aware, Government set out its view, in accordance with discussions with the troika, on the sale of potential State assets to be decided upon by Government, on the criteria set down, on the opportunities, as appropriate, to be decided by Government and in the best interests of the people. What was involved in the reference to the potential sale of Coillte was the harvesting rights for the timber. As I stated in reply to the question, the recreational facilities, biodiversity considerations and replanting obligations can all be catered for if the Government decides to move ahead with that decision.

On a point of order, this flies in the face of what the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, said last week when he suggested the sale of the harvesting rights would not go ahead. Deputy Emmet Stagg intervened on the Order of Business last week to inform the Taoiseach that the thing was not now going ahead.

The Government parties are not talking.

As the House is aware, there was a leak in a newspaper last Sunday week from Deputy Brendan Howlin's Department to the effect that the sale of Coillte trees was unlikely to go ahead.

I have a list of Deputies who want to ask questions.

The Taoiseach has come in today and stated that it is now going ahead and that the sale of the harvesting rights is back on track.

I call Deputy Olivia Mitchell.

Someone is misleading the Dáil or someone is misleading the House and the general public in respect of this issue.

That matter can be taken up.

The Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, was clear on the public airwaves. He is a Minister of the Government. He said this was not going ahead. Deputy Stagg showed us all last week, including the Taoiseach, that it was not going ahead.

I call Deputy Olivia Mitchell.

Let me be very clear for the Deputies. The Government decided that there was a list of potential assets that could be sold. Each of these assets would have to be reflected on in terms of valuation and any criteria to be set down by Government if and when it decided to sell any of the listed assets for sale. One of these was the harvesting rights for Coillte lands. The National Treasury Management Agency and the NewERA unit have been engaged in intensive discussions on the criteria.

Have they been discussing it with the Labour Party?

The Government has not made a decision in finality in regard to this matter because the evidence from NewERA on the valuation and all those other matters has not come back before Government, but it will shortly.

That is not what we were told last week.

Last week we were told by the Minister, Deputy Howlin, that it would not be sold.

Someone got a look at the Government's report.

Let me confirm it for Deputy Martin: the Government has not made a final decision about any of the assets or whether to sell them at an appropriate price or an appropriate time, because the information that we have requested and that we require before any such decision is made has not yet come back to us. It will be brought before Cabinet shortly and then the Government will make its decision.

The Taoiseach should contact the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, and tell him that.

Order, please.