Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the witnesses for being with us. I am not going to delay. I heard them discussing trying to make the train earlier and there have been a lot of delays with votes. I compliment them on the submission. I do not have many questions because it is all in there. Anything we needed to know is in there.

I have a couple of quick questions for my own information. The witnesses correctly pointed out that €2,000 per hectare is available for removal or clearance when it can cost up to €7,000 to remove a mature crop. I am not arguing the issue. I am just asking for clarification on whether there is some salvage value, the more mature the timber is. Will the witnesses give us some idea what salvage might be in a hectare of mature timber, be that for firewood or whatever? It will certainly not fill the €5,000 gap that has been there.

While my next question is not directly related to the issues on the table for discussion today, will the witnesses comment on the future of ash in Ireland? I was driving home the other night and this topic was discussed on "Off the Ball" on Newstalk, which is a sports programme. Naturally enough, the programme was coming from a hurling perspective and the clash of the ash. Has ash got a future, irrespective of whether we had the most ideal scheme in the world? Is there chance of a comeback?