Decisions on the sale of State assets will be made on a “case-by-case basis”, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte said today.
Citing the example of Telecom Eireann and Eircom, Mr Rabbitte said Ireland had a poor record in the disposal of State assets.
He said the sale of the telecoms utility and subsequent “asset stripping” of the company had acted as an “impediment to the economic development” and caused a slow down in the roll out of broadband.
He said he is awaiting a report from economist Colm McCarthy ahead of any decision on State assets, saying he would assess each case on an individual basis.
Mr McCarthy chaired an expert group tasked with making recommendations on the disposal of non-strategic State assets.
The minister was speaking at the official opening of the Priory Youth Reach centre in Tallaght today, his first official function since his appointment to the Cabinet.
The centre caters for 25 students and aims to get young school leavers into employment, training or further education.
At the opening, Mr Rabbitte said there was a “huge cohort” of the young people - some 18 per cent - leaving school after the Junior Cert.
He described the latest unemployment figures as “shocking”, considering almost 50 per cent of unemployed young people are without third-level education.
Mr Rabbitte said it was a “very unfair world” when it came to giving employment opportunities to young people without education, and praised the centre for its.
Mr Rabbitte also told The Irish Times he was not in a position to comment about possible changes to the television licence fee.
