Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her attendance today. She acknowledges that there is a crisis and she has seen the interest in this issue in recent months. It has been going on for some time but is now coming to a head. This is a huge issue for farmers and foresters. It is also a huge issue for companies like GP Wood, which employs 500 people in west Cork. This firm is now forced to import timber and could have to lay off staff. The Minister of State says she has looked at many single solutions. I would like to ask several questions. I will try to make them brief and to the point, because a lot of members want to comment.

The system must ensure that no farmer has to wait more than four months for a forestry licence, irrespective of the size of the application, as set out in the Forestry Act 2014. Forest road, felling and thinning licence applications that have been in the system for more than four months should be approved automatically under an amnesty provision. Would the Minister of State consider this? She is looking for solutions. These are the real solutions that might make a difference here.

Another solution would be to amend the Forestry Act 2014 to introduce exemptions for forest road and thinning operations. These do not present a significant landscape change. They present a low level of environmental risk. I also call for the introduction of a cost-based planning support grant, as referenced in the Mackinnon report, to assist with increased costs and the requirements associated with applying for licences. Finally, an independent project manager should be appointed within the Department to implement the operational changes recommended in the Mackinnon report and develop an appropriate and effective licensing system. Can the Minister of State adopt some of those solutions? We have to consider an amnesty if we hope to alleviate the present crisis.