Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 442: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the consultations that took place between her Department and a person for a tree felling licence at a site (details supplied) in County Tipperary; if she is satisfied that the information submitted to her Department is accurate in terms of the tree survey; if she is satisfied that the qualifications of the consultant who carried out the survey are appropriate to the task of a tree survey; the checks she carried out to establish the qualifications of the consultant; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the consultant who carried out the original survey informed the applicant that they had no expertise or qualifications to do a tree survey; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that her Department issued a felling licence which was not numbered to correspond with the map and which misidentified the majority of the trees, and that as a consequence the felling licence does not correspond to the trees on the ground; the action she will take to establish the facts surrounding this case; her views on whether the felling of the trees may have implications for water drainage in the area; if she is satisfied that it is appropriate to allow development of this land for housing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3698/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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A Felling Notice was received by my Department in September 2006 in respect of 81 trees on the lands in question, comprising a mixture of conifers and broadleafs. In accordance with normal practice the felling site was inspected by the Forest Inspector for the area. His recommendation was that the trees concerned were over-mature and a felling licence should issue. His report provides the primary basis for issuing the felling licence concerned and I am satisfied that it represents an accurate assessment of the situation on the ground.

The Planning Department of South Tipperary County Council was also consulted and they advised that the site was the subject of planning permission granted on 19th October 2005 under the Planning and Development Act 2000-2004. The Council also supplied a Tree Description Table outlining the trees to be removed and to be retained together with a map indicating the location of the trees on site. Further consultations were also carried out with the National Parks and Wildlife Service who informed my Department that they had no objections to the proposed felling and advised that most of the trees were over mature. They also recommended that as some of the trees were hosts to an active rookery they should be felled before 1st February 2007 to ensure that nestlings were not affected.

Following examination of the information supplied, my Department issued a Limited Felling Licence on the 5th January 2007 in respect of 46 trees. In granting the licence care was taken to ensure that only trees listed for removal under the Tree Description Table supplied by the County Council were included. Consequently this resulted in the exclusion from the licence of over 40% of the trees applied for. Furthermore a condition was included in the licence to the effect that any trees referred to as being for retention in Condition 36 of the Planning Permission granted by South Tipperary County Council were to be retained and protected. The individual reference numbers of the trees concerned were not included in the licence but were clearly identifiable from both the Tree Description Table and the map supplied by the County Council.

I cannot comment on the accuracy of the tree survey carried out. This survey was not carried out at the request of my Department, nor did it form any part of the documentation required for licensing. The survey was carried out in connection with an application for planning permission and was supplied to my Department by the Council for the sole purpose of indicating which trees it had ordered to be retained. I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the information supplied by the Council but in any case it is matter for the Council to decide, in this instance, which trees it wishes retained.

As regards the implications of the felling of these trees for water drainage in the area, I would point out that under Condition 4 of the licence all felling operations must be undertaken in accordance with Code of Best Forest Practice and must adhere to the Forest Service guidelines on Water Quality, Landscape, Biodiversity, Forest Harvesting and the Environment.

Finally any concerns in relation to the suitability of this land for housing development is not a matter which comes under the remit of my Department and is a matter that should be taken up with the local authority concerned.