Written answers

Thursday, 24 February 2022

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Agriculture Schemes

Photo of Jackie CahillJackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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469. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of Ash dieback RUS applications his Department intend to process in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10819/22]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine recently published forestry licensing targets for 2022. The plan may be found at gov.ie - Forestry Licensing Plan 2022 (www.gov.ie). A key target of that plan is to refocus on the delivery on approvals from the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) (Ash Dieback).

Some 537 RUS applications have been received totalling 2,215ha and issued decisions on 175 covering 567ha. Many of the remaining files are screened in for Appropriate Assessment and are referred to ecology. Many require planning permission from the Local Authority and the Department is engaging with the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage with the objective of removing the planning permission requirement for these files. To date this year, the Department has issued 17 approvals for RUS.

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