Senator Pippa Hackett:

The Joint Committee on Climate Action launched its final, cross-party report, entitled Climate Change: A Cross-Party Consensus for Action on 16 April 2019. Its implementation was a matter for the previous Government, which adopted some of the measures in its own climate action plan for 2019. This Government is proposing to revisit that plan and publish its own climate Bill this autumn. The joint committee's report acknowledged that it "was not in a position to examine afforestation in any level of adequate detail". It did, however, set out a number of recommendations for the forestry sector to be considered in the design of the new national forestry programme for the period 2021 to 2027.

The committee also recommended that the climate action council, which is currently known as the Climate Change Advisory Council, conduct a comprehensive review of national forestry in respect of climate change mitigation and adaptation and feed its findings into the new national forestry programme. It was in this context that the committee suggested that the Government should also commission an independent review and sustainability audit of Coillte's forest business and other activities in 2019, in conjunction with a review of the Forestry Act 1988 to ensure that policy is consistent with the objectives of environmental, social and economic sustainability in this sector.

As the Deputy knows, Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988.  The Act provides, inter alia, that a principal objective of the company is to carry out the business of forestry and related activities on a commercial basis and in accordance with effectual silvicultural practices.  It is self-financing and does not receive funding from the Exchequer. As a State-owned enterprise, it is also subject to the code of practice for the governance of State bodies 2016. Coillte currently operates forestry, land management, panel products and renewable energy businesses. The company manages an estate of 440,000 ha, of which just under 400,000 ha are forested.

I am also preparing the way for the design of a new national forestry strategy and national forestry programme, which I look forward to starting very soon.

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