Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I find it a strange construct that one asks the Minister a question only for his junior Minister to read out a prepared script telling us all the wonderful things the Minister is doing. It is to be hoped this is a time for questions and answers rather than propaganda. I appreciate that the supply of building materials is, by and large, a private endeavour but if these issues are preventing the supply of housing in Ireland, which it is and increasingly will, is there anything the Government can do? I do not really mind who answers the question. I am particularly concerned about timber. There is a lot of timber growing in Ireland and much of that is past the point of maturity. Many landowners across Clare are looking for felling licences. There is chaos in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, particularly in its forestry section. As the Minister of State answered, perhaps he might talk to Senator Hackett, who is the Minister of State with responsibility for this, and tell her to get things moving.

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