Anne Ferris (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 309: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Irish sawmills are importing timber from Latvia, Scotland and elsewhere due to an overly bureaucratic system of permissions for forest roads and access, which means Irish forest owners cannot access and sell their timber; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10182/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am fully aware of the need to support the construction of forest roads in order to facilitate the extraction and supply of timber to the processing sector. In 2010 my Department paid out grants totalling €3.8 million towards the construction of 100 kilometres of forest roads. To date in 2011 grants totalling €3million have been approved for forest roads construction.

As the Deputy will appreciate, in operating the forest road approval system my Department must ensure compliance with all relevant national and EU legislation. The system in operation is required to ensure that forest road construction projects will not have a negative environmental impact, especially to designated nature conservation areas and watercourses such as rivers and lakes. ^^ Early Retirement Scheme ^^

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 310: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the position regarding an application under the early retirement scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10232/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An application under the Early Retirement Scheme was received from the person named on 24 September 2009. My Department was not in a position to approve the application from the person named under the Early Retirement Scheme as the scheme conditions were not met. In order to qualify as a 'category A' applicant under the scheme, the proposed transferee of the applicant's land must be approved for payment under the Young Farmers' Installation Scheme. As this requirement was not met the person named did not qualify for a pension under the ERS. The Young Farmer's Installation Scheme is now closed to new applicants.

My Department wrote to the person named on 8 February 2010, offering the option of resubmitting the application as a 'category B' application under the scheme which entails the proposed transferee securing a minimum of 5 hectares of enlargement land. Such an application was received in my Department on 6 April 2010. A number of problems were identified when this application was assessed. Officials from my Department have requested clarification of these issues from the person named on three occasions. The latest request was made on 27 April 2011.

Processing of the application cannot be finalized until these queries have been responded to satisfactorily.