Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are again debating a Bill representing a reaction to issues that have been allowed to develop rather than being nipped in the bud and dealt with head-on when they first cropped up. The issues facing the forestry industry have long been mooted and were mentioned in an article in the Irish Farmers' Journalas long ago as December 2019. As per usual, when questioned about this in May, the previous Minister, Deputy Creed, made out that this was only a temporary setback which would be soon sorted but look at where we are now. We now have our backs against the wall and are rushing through legislation which is required to save jobs.

Just last Friday, I met local representatives of the Irish Farmers Association in Clare to discuss the association's pre-budget submission. Among the several issues discussed was that of the delays in granting felling licences. Approximately 17% of the land in County Clare is planted and this delay in granting licences is causing stress across the sector. Felling companies are running out of work and landowners are not able to harvest their crops. We must all understand the need for sustainable forestry management but we have concerns and our party has submitted a few amendments to address these.

It is claimed that this Bill will streamline the work of the forestry appeals committee and allow it to operate along the lines of An Bord Pleanála but the process to be appointed to the committee is questionable. Simply put, our amendment will ensure that the Minister's appointments to the board will take matters such as biodiversity, water quality and climate change into account and will ensure that his or her appointees will have the required experience in these fields. That is not an unreasonable request.

There are also concerned about the timeline for appeals allowed for in this Bill. It is quite clear that the time limit of 28 days to lodge an appeal is insufficient. This is why we propose extending the period to 42 days. We would also like to ensure that the timeline will begin from the day of public notification of a licence being granted rather than the day on which the decision is made. This would prevent any underhanded moves against the public's right to appeal.

Another aspect of the Bill about which I have concerns is that it allows the Minister the right to reduce the timeline for appeals but not to extend it. This provision beggars belief and needs to be removed as it makes no sense.

Finally, I would like to address some issues regarding the fees for lodging appeals. It is worrying that no provision has been made for caps on these fees. This means that the Minister could stand before the House in the coming months and announce that outrageous amounts will be charged for lodging appeals, which would prevent many people from doing so. While we agree in principle with the introduction of fees for appeals, such fees must be reasonable. Sinn Féin proposes that they be capped at €50. Again, this is not an unreasonable request.

None of these amendments is irrational. We have agreed to waive pre-legislative scrutiny of this Bill to ensure that jobs are protected but we must ensure that the Bill stands over the basic fundamentals of both sides in this discussion.

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