Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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326. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the fact that the Irish Farmers Association opposes the introduction of fees for licences and other unspecified services as it may act as a disincentive to farmers to convert land to forestry and a barrier to mobilise of the increasingly valuable timber resource, if section 6(i) will be removed from the Forestry Bill 2013 as the introduction of charges for a forest owner to manage their forest is counterproductive to the expansion and development of the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43177/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the submission made by the Irish Farmers Association on the content of the Forestry Bill, 2013, which is currently at Second Stage in Dail Eireann.

The issue raised by the IFA related to Section 24 of the Forestry Bill 2013 which gives the Minister the power to introduce fees for the services of the Department. I must point out that it is a matter of policy whether or not any Minister would charge for such services in the future and its inclusion in the Bill should not be interpreted as a statement of intent. It is worth noting the Department does not currently charge for any forestry licences or scheme applications.