Mr. Simon White:

I need to clarify the figure of €1.3 billion. It was put there for developing the new forestry programme. The fact is that because people are not planting and it has not been done, much of that will go back to the national coffers. It has been ring-fenced and has to be used in the schemes that are there. If they are not taken up, it goes back. That is counterproductive because the schemes have been badly designed. A sum of €79 million has been put into this new scheme, which is way off the mark for what is needed to sort out ash dieback. If ash dieback was sorted out and money was put into doing that, people would take up the €1.3 billion. The Deputy stated that we went into growing our trees for profit. We went in for many other reasons too. We understood the environmental need to grow the trees. We understood that we needed to grow them because 75% of hurleys being made in the country at the time were from imported ash, when we could grow ash ourselves. From that perspective, we were pioneers who understood that we really need to grow trees. Nothing can mitigate our greenhouse gas emissions like trees. People talk about rewetting bogs. Trees will do 13 times more sequestration of carbon than a bog. Trees are the way to go. We know how to do it but we are being hamstrung.