Mr. Colm Hayes:

I will be very brief in response to Deputy Bríd Smith. I do not intend to comment on the specifics of the Coillte-Bord na Móna proposal. Like any other planting proposal in this country, this project will be subject to the full rigours of our approvals process, which involves appropriate assessment. In light of the scale of this project, an environmental impact assessment will probably be necessary as well. All of the issues raised by the Deputy need to be teased out. When one is pursuing a project like this, one does not plant trees just for the carbon benefit. I say that in response to what has been said about the issue of biodiversity. All of these broader environmental dividends will need to be factored in as well as the environmental challenges. We are a bit away from that because we are not even at the application stage. All of these things will be factored in.