Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and his officials for coming in. The Minister referred to some €7 million for forestry. Last week, at this committee, Teagasc officials gave a fairly sobering assessment that in the first five years after trees are planted, there is damn all in terms of sequestration. We are in bother between now and 2030 because, basically, from 2016, although it is not the Minister’s responsibility as he was not in office, we failed to plant even 50% of what we were projecting for several years and just 75% for the other few years. The Teagasc officials made a damning statement that would frighten the daylights out of anybody when they said we would need to hold up the cutting of trees towards the end of this decade because we will be cutting a lot more than we are planting.

What responsibility do the people in the Department take for what has gone on? Is there any such thing as accountability? The job the Minister and his officials have at hand, with the climate Bill and all of that, is basically to offset one thing against the other and to make sure we are in tune. Is it not frightening that while it is not the farmers’ fault and it is probably not any Minister's fault, this has been let linger on? I know what the Minister said and everyone supported last year’s Bill in regard to cutting trees and the licences for felling. However, the dashboard shows we are still stragglers when it comes to giving out afforestation licences. I was looking at the figures just yesterday and while they suggest we will have 4,000 licences this year, and that will be the headline, the fact is Coillte is getting a good shot at them at the moment, although I am not saying it does not need them, and it will have its environmental impact statements, EIS, done and all of that craic, and will be zooming them through fairly quick. However, we need licences outside of that and we are struggling.

Does that concern the Minister? There was a new appointment lately but can the Minister leave the same people playing the same tune over a six-year period? This is going to cost the farmers and our country down the line, if we are to believe what we heard from Teagasc.