Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

There is no doubt but that there are some significant challenges ahead in getting farmers and landowners engaged in planting. We are looking at incentivising small-scale planting. These would be non-commercial plantations of native species. These could be counted towards our carbon inventory. I am hopeful that we will have something on that very soon and that we will be able to roll out something for landowners, perhaps next year. This will not involve the jumping through hoops required for forestry licensing, which is onerous. The independent regulatory review is also looking at the concerns and the delays in the system from the day a farmer or forestry company decides to plant trees onwards. It will examine the process and try to identify where the issues are. We have tried to address the issues. We have put in more resources and more people. While there have been net improvements, we are not where we need to be. That is why this regulatory review will be crucial. It will hopefully uncover where those backlogs are throughout the system. I do not have current figures on the backlogs with me but I will have them sent on to the Deputies.

See this speech in context