Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The question of timelines for the issuing of felling licences was raised in discussions I had with industry representatives and growers. I have already made a significant change to the Bill by placing an objective timeline of four months for the issuing of felling licences. In some cases, licences will be issued within a shorter timeframe.

In assessing applications for felling licences, my Department must take cognisance of the fact that forest-harvesting operations and associated activities have the potential to impact significantly on protected habitats, archaeological monuments, water quality, including public water supplies, as well as important landscapes. Consequently, before a felling licence can be granted, my Department consults with a wide range of agencies including the National Parks and Wildlife Service, local authorities, the National Monuments Service and Inland Fisheries Ireland, to assess the potential impacts that may arise from harvesting activity.

This amendment seeks the automatic issuing of a licence within 12 weeks of an application except where an environmental or appropriate assessment is required. However, all applications must be screened for their environmental impact which includes the consultations to which I have just referred. The automatic issuing of a licence where such processes have not been completed could pose significant environmental risks and cannot be contemplated.

It should also be borne in mind that a single felling licence application can cover a large land area incorporating several rivers, lakes and designated nature conservation sites such as special areas of conservation, special protection areas and natural heritage areas. Accordingly, it takes time to assess the possible impact of forest-harvesting operations over such large areas.

It must be acknowledged that I have already made significant changes to the existing Bill by aiming to have felling decisions in four months. Progress against this target will be monitored and it will be clear to all how many licences are being issued. I also introduced further deadlines within which certain specified actions must be taken so that the applicant is given some degree of certainty as to when the application will be processed. This will also ensure they are kept informed of issues that might affect the completion of the processing of their application. I have provided for the publication of decisions made in respect of licence applications. This practice is already in place for approvals of applications to afforest and for forest road works where decisions are published on the Department’s website. The purpose of this provision is to further improve access for the public to forestry information.