Mr. Mark Carlin:

There are two aspects to this: one is timber use in timber frame and the other is timber supply. I want to start with the timber frame piece. The Senator has quoted 42% but it is actually lower. His figure is correct for scheme homes, which typically would be 40% to 45%, but when we bring in single dwellings and apartments, it is much lower, say, 20% to 25%. In Scotland it is 80% timber frame and in Scandinavia it is 90%.

We have significant obstacles here in Ireland to the use of timber and we need to remove those quickly. The first is Part B of the building regulations that deal with fire safety, such as at section 3.2.5. That restricts the use of timber frame to 10 m buildings and it has to be removed. Norway has built an 18-storey building and there is a ten-storey building in London which is the largest timber frame or cross-laminated timber, CLT, building in the world. We have to start using more timber frame and traditional wood. We then have to start using more engineered wood, such as CLT and glulam, or glued laminated timber. There are restrictions here in Ireland and we simply have to remove those.

We focus on energy, climate and carbon usage in buildings.

We do not focus enough on what the buildings were made with in the first place, which is actually even more significant in terms of embodied carbon. We have a real opportunity to improve the use of timber and we need to do that.

When it comes to the supply of timber, there are a few different points to make. The demand should and will go up. We should be using more timber. We are in a very good position here in Ireland because of the forests that we have. There is no question that there is an afforestation challenge, but the supply from the forests that we have in Ireland will double in the next 15 years. We have got to take advantage of that. We must use that supply wisely and we have to innovate and use the best long-life valuable products to build our homes. We are also exporting around 40% of our timber to the UK. That is also supply that we could bring back and use in Ireland. I still think we need more trees and afforestation and to get the right balance. We are not setting the national strategy. This is just Coillte's 50:50 forest strategy. The national strategy can be different. We believe that the right strategy for us is a mix of native woodlands, which have huge value in terms of biodiversity, recreation and carbon in the very long term; and faster-growing conifers, which are critical for building our homes and for fast sequestration of carbon. That is what we are trying to do. We are trying to get that right balance.