Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Flaherty. I absolutely accept that the disappointment and frustration he has alluded to exists. I feel it too. We have a small plantation. I suppose I should be thankful that we do not need a licence yet because the plantation is not yet old enough to require thinning, roads or felling. I can certainly relate to the concerns.

With regard to afforestation, this is not only frustrating for farmers, but for the nursery owners who produce the trees for planting and find that we are not hitting the targets. I dispute the Deputy's assertion that nothing is being addressed. Many issues are being addressed and sectoral interests and the industry are involved in that. We have been making progress, albeit slow progress, as I indicated in my opening statement.

There have been calls for derogations and amnesties in order to just get these licences out as quickly as possible without any process. The whole process is incredibly complex. There are complex regulations, compliance measures and legal issues involved. We have to work together to find the best solution in this area. One of the recommendations from the Deputy's group and from Project Woodland is that we should look at the regulations involved. As I have said, we tendered for that last week. I would like to think that those considerations will be completed well before the end of the year. I would like the results of that to inform how we progress.

We could bring in legislation tomorrow but we would be in the High Court by the end of the week. That is simply the fact of the matter. We have to do this properly. We need to look forward and consider how to develop a system that is efficient and does not make it arduous or difficult for forest owners to get licences. The issue really has been causing the sector to grind to a halt. People make reference to the levels of afforestation we need to meet. We are struggling to issue enough licences even for the low levels we are meeting. We have to get this right and we have to get systems in place that can deliver 8,000 ha and more per year. That is what we are working collaboratively to do.