Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Labour Party is serious about taking measures to tackle the climate crisis and ensuring we meet our ambitious but necessary targets on climate. As such, we welcome any proposals to increase tree planting and afforestation, particularly native tree planting and woodland cover. We see that increase in forest cover as an essential component of actions to meet our climate targets, especially given that Ireland's forest cover is among the lowest of any county in the EU. I understand the figure is 11%, compared with an EU average of more than one third. Sadly, just under 2%, or approximately 20,000 ha of that 11% is native woodland, of which only tiny fragments are original ancient forests, which covered 80% of this island just after the most recent ice age.

It is in this context that we are willing to support the motion but we have concerns about the process. It is unfortunate that it is coming to us at such a late stage and in connection with completely different legislation. It is not good legislative practice, particularly in the last sitting week before Christmas, to see a motion brought forward in this way, with so little advance consultation. Many of us have been alerted to the concerns raised by the Social, Economic, Environmental Forestry Association, SEEFA, about the process by which this is being introduced. There are valid concerns around the process.

Having said that, I agree that we need to take urgent action to ensure we meet targets, particularly on afforestation. I welcome today's publication of the detailed annexe to the climate action plan, which is something I have sought in this House on a number of occasions over recent months, particularly since the publication of the plan. We are all very conscious, and even the Government would acknowledge, that the plan was big on aspirations but lacked the detailed timelines on delivery of necessary actions. It lacked the level of detail that could only be supplied in a more detailed annexe. It is welcome to see that produced today. When I raised this with the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, in the House last week, I had a suspicion that it might not be published until after the Dáil had risen. Instead, it has been published on the second-last day of the Dáil term, which is not ideal. It is unfortunate that we will not have an opportunity to debate the annexe in full before the House rises. Even on a preliminary look at the document and the timelines provided, there are disappointments, including in respect of bringing in regulations on e-scooters and e-bikes. There are some very welcome measures on the transport side to increase cycling infrastructure, active travel and public transport provision, but we are seeing many delays and a lagging behind. There certainly is not the necessary sense of urgency we had hoped for in the annexe. I hope we have an opportunity early in the new year to debate more fully the annexe, the afforestation targets and other targets set out within it and the associated timelines. I certainly will be looking for that debate through the Business Committee.

Turning to the motion, we all have concerns about the licensing backlog. Indeed, I raised it in the House on 9 December when I asked the Minister about the number of afforestation licences issued, on which we had an engagement and debate. Many colleagues, on both sides of the House, shared my concern about that backlog and the delays in the delivery of ambitious projects such as Project Woodland, welcome though it is. The Minister acknowledged last week that what has been lacking to date in the forestry sector is a co-ordinated and joined-up afforestation policy that fits within the climate action plan and helps to deliver the necessary climate action targets. In that context, we should all be concerned not only about low levels of native woodland cover, as I mentioned, but also that we continue to cut down more trees than we are planting. For every acre of forestry that is planted, approximately 6.7 acres are cut down. That needs to change if we are to meet our ambitious but necessary targets. I raise these concerns and reservations in the context of supporting the motion.

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