Dr. Mary Dobbs:

I will start with the points on Coillte and Bord na Móna. Recommendation 116 from the citizens' assembly refers to reviewing the remits of those bodies. Recommendation 120 is more significant and concerns the review and revision of the objectives of Coillte, found under the Forestry Act 1988, as amended. As the Deputy said, it states we need to address the fact it is primarily a commercial body which produces timber and makes money. It is recommended to embed the objectives of biodiversity within its core objectives because without that, while it may do some good in regard to biodiversity, it will never be one of its core focus points.

On the actions of one agency compared with another, the starting point would be to look at the review of the NPWS by Micheál Ó Cinnéide and James Stout. It examined the potential options for creating greater independence for the agency. It is currently found buried deep within a Department, which provides challenges for taking enforcement actions. Let us leave it at that.