Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I should take up the offer to meet Coillte. I have had some engagement in recent times with some Coillte staff. I do not want to underestimate the value of much of the work done by many of the people who work for Coillte. What I say is not in any sense across-the-board criticism of Coillte. What is important is the mandate of Coillte, and the extent to which it, and anybody engaged in forestry, is subject to proper environmental guidelines and principles which inform forestry.

The Minister of State has described one aspect of forestry, as has his friend in forestry, which is forestry as a crop. This is an important aspect but it is only one aspect. What slightly worries me is that the legislation is geared primarily towards this and I fear Coillte is geared too much in this direction. I do not state it does not do other things as it does some other things very well but, let us be honest, there is a tension between the pressure to see the thing as a crop, perhaps on a short term basis, and sustainable long-term forestry with stewardship, development and expansion of the forest resource in every sense, economically, socially and environmentally. Serious questions are raised.

I will be interested to hear the response of the Minister of State on why Coillte is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Is it true Coillte employees must sign a confidentiality clause? Who did Coillte consult on such a big decision to cut down huge amounts of the trees in Gougane Barra and close down a forest park? I heard there was a cursory consultation with the forest liaison group and that was it. I would like to hear more on this. We need to have broader more comprehensive principles informing the granting of licences when we deal with such an important resource.

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