Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the backlog of afforestation and felling licences. There is a current backlog of 5,000. Will the Taoiseach ensure that the Government takes action? I met a number of representatives from the Social Economic Environmental Forestry Association and it is asking for the full implementation of the McKinnon report within a certain timeframe and to ensure that every application made contains a timeframe for the processing of these licences. There is a deep crisis and we need to ensure that urgent action is taken. We have 10,000 jobs on the brink, sawmills are losing serious revenue and a lot of jobs are at risk. We also have foresters and hauliers affected within the sector, as are people who are trying to build homes. I ask the Taoiseach to consider taking those two actions I have asked about.

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