Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

I wish to consider the matter from two perspectives. Would the Minister of State acknowledge that ensuring the target is met would potentially capture in the private forestry sector up to 160,000 tonnes of CO2? According to the private forestry sector, if the State were to purchase carbon credits for that amount, it would cost approximately €46 million. While the 10,000 hectares is an aspirational figure, would the Minister of State acknowledge that we should move beyond aspirations at this stage? There is a clear need in a very productive sector to ensure that the investment will yield a multiplier of the benefits in the longer term.

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