Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are doing everything we can to try to deal with the backlog and to get licences issued and as the Deputy knows the House passed legislation to that effect. Progress is being made but we need to make faster and more accelerated progress and implement all the reforms that have been indicated with the agreement of the Minister. We are also looking at other measures to try to ensure a faster planting situation, particularly of native woodlands in line with our climate change agenda, and to provide supports to the farming community to facilitate initiatives, repairing schemes and so on that would help to avoid pollution of our waterways and grow more trees.

See this speech in context