Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State has stated that legislation would not be binding on future Ministers. The purpose of legislation is to bind future Ministers and citizens alike; that is why we pass laws here. We live in a republic and Ministers are bound the same as officials and ordinary citizens. It is important to bear this in mind.

Is firewood included in the provisions of section 13(1)(b)? There is a big market for firewood in Ireland. We are very careful to ensure that the beef market in Ireland is regulated and is supplied by people who engage actively in the beef industry. The same applies to the milk industry. This committee debated whether raw milk should be allowed to be sold. Many people have wood-burning stoves and the market for firewood has increased dramatically across the country. That market should be supplied by active wood-farmers, people who grow a crop and want to sell it. Does the definition of an owner-manager of a timber processing business or a dealer in timber include a dealer in firewood? It would be very wrong if people who go to the trouble of growing a commercial crop - thinnings can be sold for a number of purposes including firewood - were to be put on the back foot by unlawful or illegal felling.

With regard to the amendment which changes a class A fine to a class E fine, a fine of €500 is not a lot of money. It will entail a criminal conviction but people might make a commercial decision just as people make a commercial decision under the 1946 Act to cut now and ask later and pay the relatively derisory fine that can be imposed by a District Court. I am sure that will happen in the future with regard to the fine of €500. My question is whether the definition of a dealer of timber includes a dealer in firewood.