Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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1040. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the 2019 McKinnon report will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11144/21]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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1041. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will appoint an independent project manager to oversee the implementation of the McKinnon report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11146/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1040 and 1041 together.

In July 2019, former Minister of State Andrew Doyle commissioned Mr. James Mackinnon CBE (former Chief Planner with the Scottish Government) to review the forestry licensing process. During the review, Mr. Mackinnon met with various industry stakeholders, administrative and technical personnel of my Department, other State agencies, landowners and interest groups.

His report, ‘Review of Approval Processes for Afforestation in Ireland’, which was published in November 2019, made various recommendations or “Ways forward” aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the licensing approval process, as well as dealing with broader issues relating to encouraging woodland creation. In response to these recommendations, a draft Implementation Plan was set up, in co-operation with the Forestry Programme Implementation Group, DAFM personnel, the COFORD promotion group, and other stakeholders.

Work on the implementation of the actions included in the draft plan started straight away and has been ongoing since. Significant progress has been made on a variety of the recommendations included in the Mackinnon report and I would in particular like to highlight the following developments:

- Additional resources have been recruited in my Department, including 21 ecologists, to deal with the new Appropriate Assessment work. Further resources will be recruited shortly and requirements are constantly reviewed.

- The Forestry Miscellaneous Provisions Act came into force in October 2020. Such has been the effect of this legislation that we now expect the Forestry Appeals Committee to be in a position to clear all cases that are currently before it by the end of June this year.

- Guidance and templates on the new licence application process have been provided to registered foresters with a view to improving the quality of applications received by my officials.

- A Forestry Licence Viewer was launched towards the end of 2020 giving all members of the public full visibility on forestry licence applications.

- The ‘Creation of Woodlands on Public Lands’ Scheme was published in autumn 2020.

Work on finalising the Mackinnon Implementation plan was recently carried out by Jo O’Hara, former head of Scottish Forestry. Ms. O’Hara interviewed a variety of stakeholders as part of her review and has completed her report with recommendations and findings on the implementation of the Mackinnon Report. Minister Hackett, who has responsibility for forestry, has accepted Ms O'Hara's recommendations and we jointly announced on 25^thFebruary 2021 the establishment of Project Woodland which will adopt the project management structure set out in Ms. O’Hara’s report. The report is available on my Department’s website at the following link:

This project management structure will consist of a Project Board, Project Manager and 4 individual workstreams working with the principles of clear accountability and reporting. The workstreams will work concurrently, focusing on different areas. The first one will concentrate on the backlog, the second on a vision for forestry, the third on devising a fit for purpose organisational structure, and the fourth on streamlining the licensing process for the future. Project Woodland will be held to account by a Project Board which will report to my colleague Minister Hackett. The Project Board will be chaired by the Secretary General of my Department and will have another 3 members from outside the Department, including Ms O'Hara, with specific expertise in relevant areas. The Project Manager will be responsible for co-ordinating the work carried out in the 4 workstreams and will report to the Project Board.

Each workstream will be supported by a working group made up of stakeholders and will be chaired by an experienced external person. I believe that this new structure will help us draw on the expertise and input of all stakeholders in the forestry sector as we develop a new vision for forestry. It will provide opportunities for stakeholders on all sides to offer feedback and contribute to working groups.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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1042. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will sanction a task force to table a revitalisation programme for ash die back plantations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11148/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The effects of Ash Dieback have been devastating on ash plantations throughout the country and I am well aware of its impact on landowners.

When the disease first presented, it was thought that eradication was an option. My Department introduced an exchequer-funded reconstitution in 2013 to restore affected forests and paid out some €7 million to forest owners.

While that scheme was a reasonable response at the time, it became evident that given the progression and reach of the disease and based on the scientific knowledge available, a review of the scheme was needed. The original aims of the scheme i.e. eradication of the disease from Ireland, were no longer achievable, as the disease is now considered endemic here. Given that the scientific outlook had changed, a new approach was clearly needed.

A review process was undertaken to decide on the best approach going forward. This included stakeholder and public consultation and detailed field consideration of damage level evaluation, together with an examination of a broader range of silvicultural and management options available to forest owners. Advice from Teagasc and international experts was also received. Current support schemes were examined to ensure their continued relevance and that they represent value for money and to ensure that the forest owner is provided with a broader range of silvicultural and management measures. On foot of the review, a new Ash Dieback scheme known as the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme was launched in June 2020.

This Scheme aims to encourage the active management of ash plantations in the context of the control and spread of ash dieback disease. It categorises plantations into three groups based on the plantation age and tree size. Different support options are available, depending on the category into which the ash plantation may fall. It also aims to promote the vigorous growth of ash through thinning to realise as much of the potential value of the crop as possible.

Since its launch in June, over 268 applications have been submitted. We have begun to issue approvals, and this will continue as applications are assessed. There are no plans to review the Scheme at this time.

My Department is also actively supporting a number of research projects into the control and management of Ash Dieback disease, in particular projects with a key long-term focus of developing an ash tree breeding programme to identify trees that show strong tolerance to the disease and the genetic basis for tolerance. Progress on this will help to determine the future of ash planting in Ireland and I look forward to engaging with all stakeholders when we have more information.