Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will not be giving a rendition of "Rivers of Babylon" or treating the House to a treatise on Mesopotamia. I stand here to support the amendment, which is quite logical and practical. We are about being practical this evening in how the forestry appeals service could operate.

I will refer briefly to the MacKinnon report, which is the template for many of us now. In wrapping up her Second Stage speech, the Minister of State referred to it and the appointment of an independent chairperson. In support of the amendment I will speak very briefly to the observations made on page eight of that report. I am sure many Members, including Deputy Boyd Barrett, will have a copy of the report before him.

Paragraph 22 states "The perception among [registered foresters] and landowners was that, where an appeal is lodged, it is likely to be a further 12 months before a decision is issued." Tonight, we are looking to tidy the process up to be helpful to the Minister of State. If the Minister of State accepted this reasonable and practical amendment, it would give ample time for staff to process applications and go through an appeals process, given that 14 ecologists have now been appointed. This would ensure we can sustain communities throughout this land. From the fellow driving the digger to open the road to the fellow planting the forestry to the person who thins it, everybody would have a fighting chance. Right now, that fighting chance is not there and will not be until we see this legislation passed. I ask the Minister of State to give consideration to the amendment.

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