Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will come in very briefly on that. It was very good to get an insight into the process. I am particularly heartened to note that there is an escalation mechanism within the licensing process. As I said, there is disappointment that we are going to end up with 4,000 licences at the end of the year. I know the witnesses are sick to the teeth of comparisons with the private sector but any private sector business model with a full quarter left in the year would consider escalation mechanisms to try to recoup ground for the final quarter.

I am not in a position to task the witnesses with anything but given there is still a quarter left in the year, it is a reasonable takeaway for them that we should not finish the year on 4,000 licences. There would be an element of defeatism in that. I would certainly like the message to go from me, as a personal message, and the committee that we would not be happy to finish the year with 4,000 licences. My view is that from today we should task the Department with a target of 4,500 licenses by year end in light of the fact that within the Department, there is a mechanism to escalate the process.

When the witnesses come before the committee again I would like them to advise us what procedures were put in place to try to get the figure of 4,500. I do not think it is reasonable for us as representatives of the people and people involved in the forestry sector to accept that we will end the year on 4,000 licences.