Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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441. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to reduce red tape in the forest road scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43929/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The Forest Road Scheme is offered to farmers to facilitate harvesting of their crop of trees. The scheme which grant aids farmers to build private forest roads on their holding is important to enable the sector to fully mobilise the volume of timber in private hands.

Currently consent is required from my Department to build a forest road and in addition if the forest road requires a new entrance onto a public road planning permission from the Local Authority is also required. Following some negotiation with the relevant Departments there is consensus to have a single consent system operated by my Department. Following the commencement of the Forestry Act 2014 in May this year, my Department has been able to put in place an independent appeals mechanism which is an important step on the way to establishing a single consent system for forest roads. In order for the single consent system to take effect, a legislative change is required to the Planning and Development Act and this is expected to take place in 2017. This change in the regulations will facilitate the transfer of responsibility for granting permission for forest entrances from local authorities to the Deaprtment under the Forest Consent System. It is expected that these changes will reduce the administrative burden on applicants and foresters alike when it comes to submitting an application under the forest roads scheme.