Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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911. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which the current output of afforestation licences being issued by his Department will achieve the target of 8,000 hectares of afforestation for 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4242/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I fully recognise and appreciate the impact the current forestry licencing delays are having on the sector and that afforestation rates are not currently at the level needed to meet the ambitious 8,000ha target as set out in the Climate Action Plan 2019. Having said that, my Department issued licences for 4,342ha of afforestation in 2020 and 2,433ha of new afforestation was planted.

Afforestation licences have a three-year validity and my Department estimates a total of 4,900ha is currently available for planting with a valid afforestation licence and not subject to appeal. I would encourage licence holders to plant afforestation and to benefit from the grants and generous annual premiums that are available. At present, my Department has 1,009 afforestation applications on hand for 4,500ha approx. and there are a further 90 awaiting a decision by the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) in respect of approx 1,100ha.

It is my immediate priority to increase the number of licences issued. You will be aware of the delays caused by changes to the licensing system which means that a significant number of cases now need ecological input in order to comply with environmental requirements. We are tackling these delays by means of a systematic project plan. We have invested heavily in resources including the recruitment of additional ecologists, forestry inspectorate and administrative staff, with extra resources to be added in 2021. This has already resulted in an increase in the number of licences issued, and the last quarter of 2020 saw the highest number of licences issued last year.

The aim is to sustain and build substantially on that output and ensure the consistent high level of output that those who wish to plant need.

We have also implemented changes to the functioning of the FAC and acted quickly to propose and implement the Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act. I have significantly resourced the FAC and four appeals committees are now set up and hearing appeals. The FAC is now hearing an average of 60 licences per month representing an increase of 150%. This increase in output will give confidence to applicants and appellants alike. The FAC in consultation with the Agriculture Appeals Office is currently reviewing ways in which greater efficiency can be achieved across the four divisions of the FAC.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate my commitment to supporting the forest sector and to building on the recent progress, so that a continual improvement in delivery is achieved.