Mr. Mark Carlin:

I think it was 18%. I would have to check whether it was 2050. Either way, if it is to 2050, it is a phenomenal target. A recent National Council for Forest Research and Development, COFORD, report said that for climate action, we need to be achieving 16,000 ha to 18,000 ha of new forest a year. The target is at 8,000 ha and we are only doing 2,000 ha. To go back to the Chair's comment earlier, that is the size of the challenge.

As to whether I am confident, in 1996 we did the highest ever at 22,000 ha, so we have shown that the industry and the sector can step up. It is a brilliant sector. It has had its difficulties over the past couple of years but it has shown that it has the people and the plants. If we can get the opportunity in the right regulatory environment with the right policies in terms of land use, it can be done.

The reason I would be confident is that we are at 11% forest cover, which is the lowest in Europe, and the average is 40%. It is not as if we are anywhere near saturation point. I am not deaf to the challenges either in terms of land use or land use change but we have to reflect on the fact we are at 11%. We have to do this. The timeline for when we can do it is, of course, a challenge.