Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Yes, indeed, or felled. The report also indicates whether the figures have risen or fallen. Perhaps it is for the sectoral committees to flesh out or elaborate on the metrics in order to have a net picture. However, here the report gives the figure for the new hectares of forest planted, it does not say how many trees were cut down in the same period, so one cannot see if net afforestation or forest cover has increased or declined. There is an important debate around that because while we are planting there are large numbers of trees being cut down. Similarly, with housing, the report refers to new housing assistance payment, HAP, tenancies, I think the figure was 17,000. However, I understand that over 2,000 HAP tenancies ended during the same period. The report does not say this and, as a result, there is no net figure. One might get the impression that there is an entirely forward momentum on HAP tenancies whereas there is also backward momentum. Not all metrics can allow for this but in some cases one needs the net picture. Some thought on that would be valuable.

It might not be possible to do this in all the metrics, but under each subcategory there is a total expenditure figure.

In the more detailed metrics, there are no cost figures but they might be helpful. How much did it cost to do an extra 5,000 ha, for example, in the forest? The report stated the extra 5,000 ha were planted but how much did it cost to do it? It would allow us to say that if we wanted 10,000 ha or 15,000 ha, it would cost a specific sum. It might be worth looking at. On the first page of each departmental section, it might be useful to have comparative figures for the previous year. I know capital is broken down in a chart for capital, current, pay and pension costs but it might be useful to have comparative figures from the previous year. This is not just in terms of expenditure but also in terms of staff, so we can see if there is an increase in staff in health, for example. It would be useful information.

To follow Deputy Cowen's point, as well as having numbers we need some way easily readable way of setting out targets or goals. We do not need too much information in a report like this or it would become intimidating and one would not want to read it at all. These would be the key points of announced Government strategies under a departmental heading, such as Rebuilding Ireland, for example. We should have some of the key things it was hoped to achieve in order that people could at a glance consider if the figures suggest that goals set under a strategy or in the programme for Government are being met. It would be helpful. Perhaps there could be headline issues as I know not everything can be done in a report like this. It would again be up to sectoral committees to look at these in more detail but we could have some of the key headlines in place.