Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate and I thank Deputy Doyle for sharing his time. I do not have any ideological hang-ups about selling Coillte's trees. They are sold annually as it stands. I welcome the Minister's reassurance in this regard but I understand that the issue is whether we decide to forward-sell them. We are not selling the ground on which they grow nor the air above them. It is a case of whether this makes economic sense, given a whole series of legitimate concerns which have been raised. Sometimes the tenor of the debate becomes too emotional and, if I may be pardoned the pun, it becomes difficult to see the wood for the trees. This is not the death-knell of rural Ireland; this is about whether it makes sense to forward-sell and use the proceeds - as enabled by virtue of renegotiating with the troika - to stimulate employment creation opportunities in our economy. Anyone would welcome this proposition, provided it makes economic sense. I acknowledge the legitimate concerns, however, the Armageddon which is being forecast is well wide of the mark.

I am always somewhat sceptical of consultants' reports because, to a degree, one gets what one has paid for. We have had Bacon reports - with all due respect to Mr. Bacon - in this House before. We might have been well advised if they had not been taken as seriously as they had been at the time and we may have avoided much of the trouble we are experiencing today. Sin sceál eile.

I come from a constituency which has two significant players in the sawmilling business, Palfab and Grainger sawmills, who give very valued local employment. Coillte and the private forestry sector both have significant presences in the marginal land in my constituency.

I refer to the issues of legitimate concern, one of which is that any future arrangement would not impede the annual flow of timber to sawmills because this would be a significant concern as it relates to the downstream employment opportunities. The Minister has clearly indicated that there is no point in the State getting a ball of cash with the consequences being that the cash would be absorbed in dealing with job losses and unemployment payments. It must make sense under all the other headings. These are not all economic issues because there are also social, recreational, environmental issues and issues of access, which are important also.

The Coillte public park in Gougane Barra in my constituency is widely recognised as one of the great recreational forestry areas. Many of these forestry estates do not have a commercial crop and buyers will not be interested in bidding for them. The quality of the wood is not as good. Some will say that a minority of Coillte's forestry holdings have timber of significant commercial value. The proposal must be evaluated against a whole series of objective criteria such as the replanting obligation which is critical; the flow of timber to sawmills; the recreational open access issues.

I wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our former colleague, Shane McEntee, who was a Minister of State. I did not have the opportunity previously. He was not a man of many words in this Chamber but by his deeds shall we judge him. In very difficult times it is a tribute to him and to the Government that the level of funding available for afforestation was maintained.

We need to make haste slowly with regard to afforestation. Serious deliberation about the process is being undertaken. All the stakeholders will be consulted, including employees. I bring to the attention of the Minister a small cohort of former Coillte employees who have been disgracefully short-changed by the company's pension policy. I am aware of someone who spent more than 30 years working with Coillte, who has a pension of less than one euro for every year he worked. That issue needs to be addressed because it is a festering sore on Coillte's corporate image. Coillte had very highly paid executives and also people who gave blood, sweat and tears to build the company to what it is today but who are in receipt of disgracefully small pensions. That needs to be investigated and those issues need to be addressed in advance of a sale.

I refer to the private forestry sector. Deputy Moynihan will be very familiar with the Mullaghareirks.

In that context, there is an inter-agency impasse involving the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Forest Service with regard to the hen harrier. If one mentions the hen harrier in some parts of my constituency, certain individuals become very angry. There is a need to remove the artificial impediments that exist in order that people might get on with the job. I am not in favour of any diminution of our obligations in respect of biodiversity, etc., but a balance must be struck. I am of the view that such a balance does not exist at present.

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