Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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860. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if her Department is on target in its promise to issue a 107% increase of afforestation licences for 2022 in view of the percentage of afforestation licences issued year to date at 13% of the total which is similar to figures of afforestation licences issued in the same timeframe in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11613/22]

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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861. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that a consistent number of licences have been issued to Coillte each week from week ending 21 January to week ending 18 February 2022 with the number of licences issued to the private sector declining in the same period in view of the number of licences issued declining overall from 143 to 99 during this time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11614/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 860 and 861 together.

We are proposing to substantially increase our licence output in 2022 as outlined in the recently published Forestry Licensing Plan. The targets for 2022 are shown below and represent a year-on-year increase of 30%. The table below also shows licences issued to 18th February and that output is keeping pace with the overall target.

We are committed to achieving our published targets for the year. On felling the output is a combination of Coillte and private licencing. Private felling licencing is at 94% of its target YTD and overall felling licencing is at 114% of its target YTD.  

For afforestation it is an ambitious target for 2022 and we are reviewing resources to ensure that this target is met.

To achieve our afforestation targets, the forestry sector must also play its part in responding to further information requests in a timely manner and it is also important that the number of good quality new applications received by the Department is increased.