Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am amazed only five days after the all-Ireland final that nobody has put a jibe across the Minister of State regarding the result. As a fellow Tipperary man, I can assure him I am not going to do so anyway. All I can say is that the ash was certainly tested on Saturday last. As anybody who saw the slow-motion shots on RTE will confirm, they literally showed the hurleys bending as proof positive that that ash is in good condition anyway and is probably not the imported stuff.

On a more serious note, I welcome the Minister of State. I listened intently to his opening remarks where he covered in great detail the terms of the Bill. I have a few issues to raise, more for clarity than anything else.

I am thrilled at the decision of the Government a number of months ago to retain Coillte in State ownership. That was a major issue in rural areas, where the Minister of State and I live. Indeed, many from urban Ireland were concerned because of the facility, resource and amenity that the Irish forest is to the people of Ireland. That was a good decision by the Government. Despite the financial and other difficulties, there are certain assets that cannot be sold off. In my view, forestry is one of those. I commend the Minister of State for his input at the time.

I welcome the Bill. As Deputy Tom Hayes stated in his opening remarks, this is to replace legislation some of which is 70 years old. That was a time when workers went into the forest with horse and bow saw, knocked trees in that fashion and drew them out onto the road, and then they were moved, in some cases by river and canal. We have moved a long way since then in Ireland and have modernised.

Senator Comiskey is probably one of the foremost experts in this area even though many may not know that. I would say he has more knowledge on the subject than all of us here in this room combined.

I welcome that there are so many jobs in the sector in this country but I see massive potential, and the Minister of State finished his closing remarks with that. We currently have 11% afforestation in Ireland and the European average is 35%. We have a long way to go.

One of the quandaries to which the Minister of State might respond is that he will never see trees planted on his land or, indeed, any land, in the Golden Vale-----