Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

636. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding afforestation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37999/21]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

637. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if information (details supplied) will be provided in relation to forestry applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38000/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 636 and 637 together.

The Department is making a change to the public consultation phase for certain forestry licences. 

As a result of recent legislative changes made by the European Union (Birds and Natural Habitats) (Amendment) Regulations, 2021, (S.I. No. 293 of 2021), the Department is required to provide additional opportunities for public consultation in relation to forestry licencing applications.

In response to requirements of this legislation, the Department has initiated a revised public consultation to ensure that there is full public participation in decision-making around projects that may have affect European sites.  There will now be a second 30-day consultation period which will take place after receipt of a Natura Impact Statement (NIS) or after an Appropriate Assessment Report is produced by the Department, and relevant documentation will be published in the Forestry Licence Viewer. If an NIS is submitted with the initial application, only one public consultation period is required.

This is the new consultataion process, and it is one which makes for extensive public consultation on forestry licence applications. It applies to files which are screened-in for Appropriate Assessment. Any such files in the system that have not yet been decided, and future applications will be covered by this new consultation process with immediate effect.

It is critical to note that the Department has not suspended the issuing of forestry licence decisions. I assure the Deputy that my officials are assessing forestry licence applications on hand that are affected by this change and have already started to publish lists of forestry licences that are now open for this second public consultation phase. In addition, they have put in place new procedures to deal with this consultation.

Regarding applications that have been approved to date this year, the Department publishes the forestry dashboard weekly.  All forestry licences that are approved have conditions attached.  Therefore, I cannot give a breakdown of approved/approved with conditions. The number of applications approved and refused are given below, with the percentage of those screened in where an Appropriate Assessment Determination/Natura Impact Assessment is involved to date this year.