Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Five years. I am answering their questions. I will be straight with the Deputy. If I am asked a question that I am not able to answer, I get back to them with an answer. It is a tedious operation. There are an awful lot of them. There are 520 people who have a licence, but I am getting through them. It is good for them to hear from a person who is saying that they have a licence and asking whether there is any chance they will think about planting. It is a bit of an operation, but at the end of the day, making contact with people is what it is all about, as is letting them know that the Department has their back.

Further to what the Deputy asked, private felling applications were down before the storm. Many of those things might have been linked to price or other issues. Again, there could be personal family things happening with people that can affect the decisions they are making at any time.