Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise a couple of points that nobody else has mentioned. What is the estimated overall cost of a compensation package? A tax on carbon credits adds value. Does the organisation envisage that people could buy carbon credits? If one is assigned so many credits, can another organisation buy them? In the States, some organisations buy such credit. It would form part of an income as well as increasing land value.

What is the justification for a blanket ban on forestry? Ireland has an ambitious afforestation programme of 10,000 ha per annum or higher, but we have not got that far. There is 169,000 ha of land that is generally suitable for afforestation but we are being denied the ability to do so. Notwithstanding anything that BirdWatch Ireland has said, I am surprised that a blanket ban is needed to protect any species of bird. Animals and birds have adapted to the changing climate and evolved for years and, therefore, do not need the protection provided by a blanket ban. They need to be protected from guns, but that is a different matter. I am not being facetious; that is the reality. To me, everything else needs fair and reasonable rules applied. Afforestation was generally accepted. I would not be so negative about wind turbines, for example, because everything has its place and appropriateness is a more important aspect. At what point did afforestation go from being generally acceptable to being totally banned? These are key issues. I hope we can agree on a submission to the Minister.

Earlier, it was stated that €13 million had been paid by the NPWS for the hen harrier farm plan scheme from 2008 to 2013, while no specific compensation was paid from 2010 to 2015. Where did that money go? It was hardly all spent on 378 farmers. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will end up having to figure out a way to compensate for a designation issue that originated in the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Senator Ó Domhnaill will return, I hope, to make his contribution. In the meantime, I ask the delegation to respond to all the questions.