Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. I will start with my principal argument. Mr. Carlin made a very interesting statement about the biodiversity element and he said he thinks it is going to go to 50:50 in due course because of national policy. National policy is proposing 450,000 ha between now and 2050, which is roughly 15,000 ha per year. We are now building timber frame houses at anything up to 42%. Does Mr. Carlin think we will, first, reach the target of 450,000 ha by 2050 and, second, that we will supply our indigenous housing market off the back of that? Or, are we just going to create parkland development, which will have no economic value to the State, only to end up importing vast numbers of logs and whatever else with it, with all the biodiversity issues pertaining to that, and have a huge issue with regard to our biodiversity security for the entire State? In other words, is the policy that is proposed going to deliver regarding our housing policy?