Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Yes, I do. It follows on from the Chairman's contribution. I refer to the vision thing. My view is that we are spectacularly under-performing in terms of the potential for forestry, notwithstanding that forestry makes a significant contribution both economically and in employment terms. We are massively under-performing in all sorts of areas such as in the potential for employment and particularly in afforestation. We are nowhere near the European average, despite the fact we have the capacity to grow trees faster than anywhere else. We cannot meet those targets and this is urgent for all sorts of reasons such as economic and environmental reasons and reasons associated with climate change. Climate change was highlighted in the recent UN report. It seems to me that forests are an answer to a lot of the problems but we have absolutely failed. If we are to succeed, Coillte has to play a central part. How does Mr. Moloney see us changing things so that Coillte can play its part in that delivery? What would he say to me and others who are deeply concerned that there is a problem in Coillte about its identity and focus? It seems to be too focused on short-term commercial and financial questions and not sufficiently strongly focused on the longer-term more society-wide objectives of employment, afforestation, improvement in the mix of species - I ask Mr. Moloney to comment on the question of the mix of species – and the environmental role of Coillte and of forestry generally.

I ask Mr. Moloney to speak about his relationship with the Irish Forestry Unit Trust and about the sale of forests by Coillte which seems to go in the opposite direction of what I would expect Coillte to be doing.