Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber, which is her Chamber too. I thank her for being here and thank Green Party Senators for this motion and for using their Private Members' business. It makes sense and I will fully support it.

I am conscious the Green Party is in government and coming to the mid-term of the Government's life-cycle. I have not yet seen the mid-term review. I presume one is planned, as is the case in most coalition Governments. This one has a huge, ambitious programme, much of which I agree with. I would look forward to a review of the achievements of the Government. It is something I would be calling for in the new year. I do not want to digress but it is important.

I am also conscious of Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, an excellent document. There is a lot of stuff in there, a lot to be achieved, a lot of tasks and a lot to be done between now and 2025.

This motion calls to "establish without delay [I am somewhat surprised at this] a working group between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to devise and implement the necessary policies and legislative changes to remove existing barriers to the increased use of timber in construction[.]" I fully support all of that. I do not think it is a problem and it does not need any special motion. Parliamentary parties meet, Government meets and I would have thought this is totally consistent with Government policy. I am surprised it has not happened before now. That is a surprise to me and I am a member of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. We need to move on this fast. I fully support it.