Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to try and keep going. Ms Gray said that Coillte was concerned about Ireland meeting its targets. How is it that at the end of 2022 or in 2023 Coillte got this burst of concernment when in 2016 and 2017, Ireland still had the same figures and there did not seem to be a bother about it? Could Ms Gray explain this to me whether Coillte is concerned about Ireland's climate targets? My understanding on the Coillte-Gresham House deal is that there is going to be 7,500 ha or 8,000 ha of standing forest. They are already accounted for; they are not going to help Ireland in its mitigation. Let us not be trumping the card that it is going to help Ireland. That is already accounted for. There will be 3,500 ha or 4,000 ha. Can you explain why Coillte bought standing forest? It is not going to be of any benefit that way to Coillte, or to Ireland in its mitigation, as it is already accounted for. How come there was not a big concern before that?

I will ask a few other questions together and Mr. Carlin might take a few of them as well. On the peatlands, it was said that Coillte was working on 1,500 ha with Bord na Móna. My understanding - and correct me if I am wrong - is that there was something mentioned before about 40,000 ha or maybe more. What is the status of that? When you take the trees out of that and rewet it, that is 40,000 ha less of Coillte's inventory. What is the story with that?

Mr. Carlin will probably be able to address this question, as I think he lived in Roscommon at one time. Coillte has 700 acres, which Mr. Carlin would be familiar with, in Mote Park, right beside Roscommon town. There is a group there, the Mote Park Conservation Group, which would have worked with Coillte down through the years. The group is not opposed to spruce, as long as it is done in a proper way. There is also the red squirrel. The group would have noticed over the last number of years that Galway was handling it - Mr. Carlin might be familiar with this - and then it moved to Mullingar. There seems to be a breakdown in terms of what is happening. If I furnished him with the details, would Mr. Carlin - and I am asking him directly - meet those people? We need to keep relationships going in areas where the community is working with Coillte. Would Mr. Carlin meet them to resolve those issues?

Ms Gray gave a figure which works out at €8,163, so Coillte is banking on the State being able to give it the grant for the afforestation. It will get the grant for planting, but the premium is probably what it will be looking for. Does Ms Gray see why farmers are concerned now? Land that was €5,000 to €6,000 - we know the price of land - has now jumped up a few cogs. There is a fear among the farming community. The north west, the west, the south west and parts of the midlands - when you look at afforestation and Government policy and not alone Coillte's, which is about a fifth of what the Government is proposing - are going to have about 1.2 million acres of forestry if the plan everyone is looking at goes ahead. That area amounts to a third of the country, where you are going to have 100% of that. This is going to nail down communities. It is going to basically put landowners out of production because they will not be able to compete, and it is going to diminish communities. Has Coillte a concern about that, or will it give us an assurance that every county is going to get an equal amount of this, whether it is 5% or 10%? Will every county get its bit? As Coillte is well aware, there are some counties in the west that are heavily forested at the moment. Will Coillte ensure every county or area, whether it is the Golden Vale or it is Connemara, will get an equal amount and that one part of the country will not be lumbered with all of this?