Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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639. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he will put in place with immediate effect to resolve the delays being experienced in the supply chain for timber due to objections to felling licences being granted under the Forestry Act 2014; his views on the lack of resources available to the forestry appeals committee to deal with such objections in a timely fashion; his further views on the impact this will have on the supply of timber for house building and the construction industry in general; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18895/20]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I am acutely aware that delays in issuing licences has led to difficulties for some in the sector.   My Department is intensively engaging with all relevant stakeholders on these issues. The current licensing difficulties are as a result of the changes made to internal Appropriate Assessment Procedures (AAP).  These were introduced in response to important Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decisions and their subsequent interpretation by the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) and others.  These findings meant that in order to grant licences which fully meet environmental requirements, fundamental changes to the licensing system were unavoidable.  All licence applications are subject to a statutory public notification system. 

My Department has a detailed project plan in place for dealing with the current backlog and new applications, which includes significant investment in extra resources required to deliver the plan.

The project plan is a targeted, process-driven approach which prioritise files in a manner which will result in an increased number of licences being issued in the short-term and will deliver a return to expected timelines in the longer term.  Applicants who have or are prepared to submit a Natura Impact Statement, where appropriate, will be prioritised and, for the next 6 weeks, the focus will be on felling licences. 

A Project Management Board, with a dedicated Project Manager, will oversee and monitor delivery.  There will be a continuous review of the process, in order to effect efficiencies. A communication plan to keep stakeholders fully and regularly informed of progress, with a dedicated central resource to deal with queries, is a key element of the project.  While much of the success of the project plan lies with my Department, stakeholders also need to engage with it.  This will require a commitment from forestry companies to submit only applications which have a realistic chance of being planted, to ensure all applications are of the required standard and quality, and to submit NISs in accordance with the guidance provided.

The Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) is operationally independent of my Department. Additional resources have been assigned to the FAC over past months, including additional administrative resources and personnel with planning expertise, to assist with administering appeals.  Resource needs will continue to be monitored.

The Programme for Government gives a commitment to implement the recommendations of the Mackinnon Review and to review the forestry appeals process. I am committed to aligning the forestry licensing and appeals processes with that of the national planning and other comparable appeals processes.  I am considering how best this may be achieved and expect to be making further announcements in this regard in the coming weeks.

Delays in issuing licence approvals for felling in recent months  has resulted in some reduced sawmilling activity. However, the extent to which this specific issue is impacting on domestic house construction in the short term is unclear when significant lockdowns were in place due to COVID 19. In terms of supply, Irish timber is sold on both the Irish and UK markets. Disruption to supplies of logs from forests has the potential to reduce the amount of timber exported to the UK market, with Irish markets taking available supplies. While hard won markets in the UK will still need to be maintained, the expectation is that the industry will start to see a significant increase in licence approvals later in 2020 which will signal a return to normal conditions in terms of issuing of licence approvals.

My Department continues to host two weekly conference calls with both Coillte and Forest Industries Ireland to monitor progress on felling licences and related issues. I am more than aware that the current situation is challenging, but it is a temporary disruption which, when resolved, will make for a better, more sustainable and fit-for-purpose forestry licensing system for many years to come.