Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. We are all in agreement that the forestry industry is in trouble and that the system is not delivering and needs complete reform. All of this means our timber mills are running out of time. The afforestation programme is close to being on its knees.

The witnesses mentioned the backlog in licenses. Apart from the slow pace in the Department in terms of how it operates, could they outline the issues they see arising? Is bureaucracy regarding assessments slowing things down? At the previous meeting of the committee, we heard about licences that cover the overall development of a project plantation and not just the individual parts, something that was mentioned again today. Do the witnesses see any potential problems with this way of doing things? They spoke about the need to reform the FAC and said it will take many months for most of the backlog to be dealt with. What proposals do the witnesses have to allow this to happen more quickly? Is it a matter of staffing or are there other problems in the system?

The witnesses spoke about the appeals process and how it needs to be rigorous and fair. Can they tell us about the unfairness in the process? Are they of the view that there is active discrimination between larger and smaller applicants in the licensing system?

A small forestry group contacted me recently. It stated that the rate at which licences are being issued makes the aim of 8,000 ha of afforestation annually impossible. Is that the view of the witnesses?