The Dealer sees that rumours of a link-up between Coillte and British investment fund Gresham House have reached the Dáil floor.

While a tie-up between the State forestry agency and the British investment house has not been officially confirmed by either party, there are plenty of straws in the wind regarding a mooted deal.

The contributions of Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy and Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit to the Dáil debate on the new forestry programme will surely add to the speculation.

Saying that, any link-up between Coillte and Gresham House would be viewed with “genuine concern”. Deputy Carthy asked Minister for State Pippa Hackett if she was aware that a similar policy in Scotland had led to an “explosion of corporate ownership”.

Deputy Barrett said Coillte should be supporting the development of a sustainable forestry model rather than “teaming up with an international investment fund to compete with farmers”.