73. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he intends to intervene to halt the privatisation of Bord na Móna; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7037/25]

Sentiment score: 0.01

As Deputy Daly outlined, this is the last remaining domestic waste collection service in public control. We have big-picture concerns with the sale of this and what this means for the State provision of domestic waste collection services into the future. We also have very specific issues with the details of the sale. In this case, it is being sold by way of a share sale rather than an asset transfer, which avoids the application of the transfer of undertakings regulations, which would give some certainty to workers that their terms and conditions would be upheld after the sale. Far from being given any guarantee about their terms and conditions, the workers have been told they will be held as they are for the transition, but what guarantees has the Minister that the terms and conditions will not be downgraded, reduced or, in industry speak, "harmonised" following their integration into KWD Recycling?

Sentiment score: -0.02

I thank the Minister and it is good to hear he is meeting the board in the coming weeks and that he shares our concern regarding the continuation of the terms and conditions if the sale is to proceed. We also have to look at to whom it is proposed to sell this part of the State company. Killarney Waste Disposal is an unlimited company. There is a complete lack of transparency with regard to its group structure, its financial health and its profitability. Its accounts are not published. We do not know where the profits are going. There is a reason companies opt for unlimited structure, which is that it gives them much less transparency. We want to know whether the Minister is happy this strategic State asset is being sold to a company that has been fined in the past year for failings in the provision of its services.

Sentiment score: 0.16