Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am working closely with the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, on the area of forestry. Really good progress has been made to support those farmers who are significantly impacted by Storm Éowyn. Historic proportions of forestry were flattened around the country in windblown elements. What I and the Minister of State have done is to look to support those 26,000 ha that have been dropped, a phenomenal impact. Some 14,500 ha of that is Coillte lands and 11,500 ha is privately owned. A significant proportion of that was already the subject of a felling licence so did not require one. For those who did require one, flexibility was brought in whereby the Minister of State made sure that a thinning licence could count as a felling licence as well. That covered more and was done to encourage all those who had windblown plantations to get their applications in. Obviously, there is a serious glut of stuff on the ground at the moment. There is plenty there at present that is down and is the subject of a felling licence and that can be processed by the industry. The industry cannot process everything that has fallen such was the level of destruction. At the same time, we process all the other licence applications such that when what is down that is the subject of a licence is cleared, the next is ready to go. We are working might and main on that and I believe we are making very good progress in that space.