Mr. Des O'Toole:

On timber frame, as Mr. Carlin said, it accounts for about 25% of total units. Looking at it another way, timber frame accounts for about 48% of scheme homes, that is, three-bedroom semi-detached homes, if we want to define them in that way. To get from 48% of scheme homes to in the region of 80%, which would be similar, as Mr. Carlin said, to the Scottish experience, we estimate, in round numbers, about an additional 200,000 cu. m of construction-grade sawn wood is required to service that market, if it were all homegrown timber or any timber.

There is potential here to increase the use of timber. We have a growing supply. There is also a huge potential to increase the use of homegrown timber. With respect to the timber-frame sector and its capacity, we estimate that approximately €65 million has been invested by the timber-frame sector alone over the past five years and something similar is the pipeline for the coming years. We believe it has the capacity to get to that 80% figure.

On getting people to use homegrown timber, this involves giving them the confidence that homegrown is suitable for the majority of components used in a timber-frame home. We are working with one of the leading sawmills and one of the leading timber-frame manufacturers on a project called Home-Grown Homes, where we are demonstrating the suitability of homegrown timber across a range of standard components, whether it be truss rafters or studs in the walls, for example. There are no technical barriers to using homegrown timber in timber frame. There are some design challenges, particularly with prefabricated roof trusses, for example, where it may be necessary to increase dimensions of the timber in the bottom chord or wherever it may. There are huge opportunities.