Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There was a debate in the Seanad about the 300,000 new homes that are proposed to be built with timber. Coillte mentioned this in its statement. Senator Boyhan and others were involved in that debate, as was I. As regards building materials, the focus must move away from traditional steel and concrete to match the potential of timber. Supply will be key to making sure that there is good quality timber going forward. Does Coillte have projections of the amount of timber in hectares that needs to be planted in the next decade to reach that potential? This issue was mentioned in the Seanad debate in that the statistics required seem to be absent in this case. We all realise we need to reach the 300,000 unit, or 80% of housing output, target but for that to happen planting will be needed in the next decade. We need to get that figure because it was obvious during the debate that it was absent. Will Coillte give some insight into what it believes that figure should be over this decade?