Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Concerning ash dieback, the scheme has been somewhat refreshed. We have spent more than €7 million up to now supporting farmers with ash dieback in their plantations. The new scheme has been in effect since June. We have received more than 200 applications to date, so it is not as if no one is applying for the scheme. People are applying. I refer to the support measures to remove diseased trees and to encourage the aggressive thinning of plantations. We heard in the previous session that ash responds well to vigorous thinning and that it is possible to the delay the onset of dieback in other trees so they can continue to grow. I also refer to the support for the reconstitution and planting of other trees. We feel those support measures are effective at this stage, and the scheme is being engaged with by farmers on the ground.

Moving on to the Mackinnon report, we have already implemented a good deal of it in the context of aligning the appeals process, the introduction of fees for appeals and the planning process. I hope, however, to make an announcement on Thursday in that regard. I ask the committee members to watch this space and I hope they will be pleased. That is happening. If people have not read the Mackinnon report, I recommend that they do so. We hear a great deal about the report and comments relating to it get bandied about , but it is a fairly short report and is worth reading. There is a great deal in the report for those on both sides of the argument. It is not just a bible for industry. There is a great deal of fairness in the report, so I recommend that everyone read it.

In response to Deputy Kehoe's comments, I fully acknowledge the crisis the sector is in. It is something I have inherited. I can only really speak to the four months for which I have been in office. In that time, however, I have seen the officials and staff in the Department working incredibly hard. I cannot comment on what happened before, but I have seen much hard work. A great deal has happened in those four months in respect of the legislation and hiring more people to help with the licensing process. That is something and there have been improvements. As I indicated in my opening statement, in October we issued more felling licences than in the entirety of the previous 12 months. We must keep working on that, and if we need more resources in that regard, which I think we do, we will continue to push resources in that direction. If we need to hire more ecologists, we will hire more ecologists. If we need more forest inspectors, we will ensure that happens.

That is all I can say for now. We will endeavour to get through the backlog as quickly as possible, but there is no silver bullet here. There is no one thing that will fix all these problems in a couple of months. There is a backlog and we must deal with it. We must also apply due process to the backlog in the outstanding appeals. It is important that we do it right, but I have confidence that the system works now. The issue is getting through the backlog, and I realise that is what is driving the crisis. I am working really hard with my officials, whom I know are also working hard, to deliver on this, because nobody is happy with the situation.