Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Planting is important but in the meantime we are in a crisis because there will not be enough in the mills to keep them open. Mr. McAuley stated 1 million tonnes of timber are held up in the forestry aid committee, FAC. Has he any indication if the recent Bill is having any effect in releasing any of that timber?

Has Mr. McAuley any knowledge as to how much is involved in total felling licences? Metaphorically, the house is on fire because there is no timber for the mills. Has Mr. McAuley any idea of the volume of timber held up in the Department in terms of felling? I understand the problem here is the ecological assessments. Has he a proposal as to how they might be speeded up? Unlike Deputy Collins, I do not think there is any magic wand here. An amnesty cannot be granted. We would be brought eventually to the European Court of Justice if we were not to comply completely with European law. One of the reasons this process has been held up is that there was a court case which directed that extra processes must be followed. Therefore, there is no shortcut. Is é an bóthar árd an bóthar gear anseo. The high road is the short road here. Would Mr. McAuley agree with me?

How dependent are the big sawmills on Sitka spruce or coniferous timber now? How likely are they to continue to be dependent mainly on Sitka spruce and other coniferous timber as opposed to broadleaf trees?

To keep the sector going until Christmas what extra timber would need to be cleared through the system? Allowing for the fact that much of it could be subject to appeal, getting it through the Department would be a help but it would not answer the problem if it was all appealed.

What net extra timber needs to be put back into the system between 1 January and 30 June next year to keep all the mills open and people employed?

I would be interested in the witnesses giving more information on how a regulatory system would work and how, as opposed to the licensing system, it could be kept immune from legal challenge. Anything that would be open to legal challenge would bring us back to where we are now. Should the current system be improved or should a new system that might be open to legal challenge and spending years in the courts, thereby holding everything up, be started? I am conscious that EU directives ultimately control everything. They are superior to the Irish Constitution and laws.