Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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500. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there is a policy by Coillte, either nationally or at local Coillte level, of charging groups who wish to walk through State owned lands; when this was decided; the persons that support this initiative; the person that sets the fee and decides who should pay or not; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22202/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Coillte Teoranta was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act 1988 and day-to-day operational matters, such as the management of the forest estate, are the responsibility of the company.

Coillte has advised, in relation to your query, that it welcomes responsible users who practice Leave No Trace. Since the 1970s, an Open Forest Policy has been in place in relation to the State’s forests, now vested in Coillte, which allows permissive access on foot. This policy was continued by Coillte upon its establishment in 1989. Under this policy the general public are permitted and welcome to use forest lands for non-commercial, informal, recreational purposes subject to visitors taking due care for their safety, having consideration for other forest users and respecting the nature of Coillte's commercial operations. This policy is applicable to the individual user and small user groups.

Coillte has also advised that larger groups, generally in excess of 50 people and usually in the form of pre-organised events, are also welcome under permit available upon request from the local forest manager and that a nominal charge usually applies in such cases to cover licence administration and other costs. The requirement for a permit for such large organised groups allows for the checking of insurances, completion of a HIRA (hazard identification risk assessment), assessment of environmental impacts and other related issues such as parking requirements etc.