Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too object in the strongest possible way to the short time being given on Wednesday for the debate on all Stages of the Bill. I objected at the Business Committee to the proposal. I suggested that we start debating it at 10 a.m. today or at noon, but I was told that was not feasible for the Cabinet. It is totally ridiculous to have such important legislation debated in this way.

I fundamentally oppose what Deputy Boyd Barrett is talking about. Our concern is for real jobs and the real people who have trees planted.

Tree huggers and tree lovers are holding up the Bill and clogging it up with frivolous amendments. We want to stop people who live in the city objecting to plantations that are 100 miles and 200 miles away. This is scandalous. Families are being deprived of their living, they cannot harvest their timber, contractors are being deprived of their living, the mills are without timber and builders consequently cannot get materials to build houses. It is farcical coming from Deputy Boyd Barrett, who is always talking about housing, that he is so short-sighted he cannot see this. I ask him to go and plant some trees in his leafy backyard if he wants to. He can see how trees grow and how we in the countryside mind them. It is ridiculous.

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