Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Maloney praised Coillte quite highly in his speech. I share some of his praise but I also share some concerns. The last time I addressed this issue was the last time the former Minister of State, Shane McEntee, addressed this House. One of the last things he said in the House was how difficult it was to get information from Coillte. We are talking about State assets and I am someone who takes State assets very seriously. Coillte is the guardian of a State asset and the degree of difficulty even Ministers encounter in getting information from it needs to be addressed. Obviously, Coillte has a commercial remit. It is tasked in legislation with making money, but it could also benefit from a much greater degree of openness.

There is a presumption that because all of these assets rest in a semi-state or State body such as Coillte, they are being used for the benefit of the State and communities. I am not convinced that is so; nor am I convinced to the contrary. Clare has one of the highest rates of afforestation in Ireland. I believe it is the third highest rate of afforestation in the country both in terms of the proportion of the county that is forested and the size of the forestry block in the county. Seán Lemass's industrialisation policy came to east Clare and my home town with the creation of a chipboard factory in the 1960s. Much of the forestry planted was on Slieve Aughty and Slieve Bearnagh, which, prior to that, had generated considerable tourism revenue because they were areas for grouse and partridge shooting. Hunting parties came over from London and various parts of the British Isles to exploit that and locals were employed in that business. All of that more or less came to an end with the planting of forests on those mountains. The chipboard factory is no more, as it closed just before the last election. Obviously, it was a victim of the downturn in construction. People simply do not need to buy chipboard in the quantities they did before, either here or in the UK, which were its main markets. One of the great difficulties in finding something to replace that is the fact that Coillte, which has so much of the forests, will not engage in a long-term supply contract with anybody. It will not even discuss the possibility. Due to the necessity of earning money, it will not engage in a 30-year, 50-year, 20-year or even ten-year supply contract because it is determined to sell its crop on a year-by-year basis for the most it can gain. Of course, that does nothing to create employment and an industry that could be built around our assets.

I am not inherently opposed to the sale of the harvesting rights, because all of this forestry was planted as a crop to be harvested and will be harvested. While I am not inherently opposed to it, we need to consider what will generate employment, which we so badly need. There has been a very small drop in unemployment in Clare this year for the second year in a row. If an industry can be based around forestry, surely it can happen in Clare, which is the third most forested county in Ireland? Despite the fact that Coillte is there and all this land is in State ownership, it is not being used to create employment.

As I mentioned previously in the House to the former Minister of State, the late Shane McEntee, the amenity value is very important.

Some reports are casting very serious doubt on the economic benefit which could accrue from the sale of the harvesting rights so I am glad the Government is not going full steam ahead with any sale. If it is to be sold, then the amenity value must be maintained because, for example, Limerick city is situated on the edge of Slieve Aughty. Thankfully, the amenity value of the forest walks and the potential for mountain biking has been explored by Coillte but there is room for further exploration.

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