Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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195. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to budget 2020, the current and capital allocation for the forestry programme in his Department in 2020; the amount of capital carryover for the programme in 2020; and the allocations for each respective forestry scheme that will be provided in 2020. [42488/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The total estimated allocation for the Forestry Programme for 2020 is €103.43m.  The funding for the Forestry Programme of my Department, reflects the target of 8,000ha of new afforestation, outlined in the Government’s Climate Action Plan, 2019.

The capital allocation is estimated at €100.1m and the current is just over €3.25m.  The capital allocation provides for new afforestation, the existing annual premiums for current Afforestation Scheme participants and the Forestry Support Schemes.  The support schemes include the Forest Road Works Scheme along with other forestry schemes such as Woodland Improvement and NeighbourWood.  The capital allocation also provides for the National Forest Inventory, which is commencing a new cycle in 2020.

The current allocation is designed for other support schemes including the very successful Forestry Knowledge Transfer Group Scheme, which will reopen again in 2020.  I have also provided funding for training and promotional strategies in 2020.  The matter of capital carry-over will be finalised early in 2020.