Written answers

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

Department of Agriculture and Food

Forestry Sector

9:00 am

Photo of Paul Connaughton  SnrPaul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 507: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the employment of between four to six persons on contract to carry out a repeat national forestry inventory has been completed; if funding for the employment for such personnel has been sought from the Department of Finance; what the reply has been to date; if he will provide the possible costs involved in carbon credit purchasers if the inventory is not completed by 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37687/10]

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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In March 2009 the Government announced a moratorium on promotion and recruitment in the civil service. Under the terms of the moratorium, no posts can be filled without the prior sanction of the Minister for Finance. Accordingly, sanction has been requested from the Department of Finance to recruit officers on a temporary basis to undertake the national forest inventory. Discussions are ongoing with the Department of Finance in this regard.

For the purpose of the Kyoto Protocol Irish forests will sequester 11 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (Mt CO2) over the 5-year period to the end of 2012. This amount is 25% of the emission reductions arising from existing measures outlined in the National Climate Change Strategy. The cost saving in carbon purchases in today's terms is €220 million. The reporting and accounting of forests as carbon sinks under the Kyoto Protocol agreements are subject to rigorous reporting procedures which must conform to the good practice guidelines (GPG) of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). While failure to comply with the IPCC GPG guidance would result in revision and re-adjustment of the claimed emission reductions and a loss of revenue, I am confident that the National Forest Inventory will be completed by the end of 2012.

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