Ms Imelda Hurley:

Absolutely not. The focus in terms of Coillte licences has been to ensure we deliver licences with all of the information. Our anticipated screening and the Natura impact statement, NIS, are all for review by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and it is for the Department to work through those licences in full detail. We have to adhere to the same process as everyone else. Certainly, all of that has to work through the normal process. The engagement with the Minister would be much more at a strategic level and is especially focused on matters such as the vision.

With regard to the 100,000 ha by 2050, we have considered very carefully what we believe to be the appropriate contribution Coillte would seek to make in terms of Ireland’s afforestation target. At 100,000 ha, it will be 2,000 ha to 3,000 ha per year, or 20% to 30%. Noting the scale of the challenge ahead, we see that as the role we can play in supporting Ireland’s afforestation while recognising that if we are doing 2,000 ha to 3,000 ha, some 5,000 ha to 6,000 ha a year will need to be delivered by the forest management companies and the landowners.

We see ourselves very much as seeking to play our part in terms of the overall target. We thought very carefully about that. Mr. Carlin articulated earlier that we continue to engage on that. It is possible that, in time, perhaps the scale of planting that is needed may increase. Some people point to higher targets from time to time, but we simply want to play our part in terms of supporting Ireland's overall climate action agenda and in thinking through all of that very carefully, recognising what we could do and what others could do as well.

I will pass over to Mr. Carlin to deal with the other matters.