The Authority’s report is an interesting example of the divergences of view which can exist between regulators dealing with the same case. It has to be said that the minority report appears to give a more considered view of the potential effects of the merger per se than the report of the majority. If the Authority had been allowed more time to analyse the complex issues which arose in the case, it might have been possible for the differences of opinion between the Authority members to have been resolved. In any event, the Minister’s decision to prohibit the merger has dealt a major blow to Coillte’s strategic development which, ironically, was entirely consistent with the government’s strategy for the forestry sector in Ireland

Gerald FitzGerald
McCann FitzGerald
Dublin