Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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138. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the weekly targets for forestry licensing, by type, in 2022. [16993/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine issued 4,050 forestry licences last year, which was an increase of 56% on the number issued in 2020. This included 2,877 felling licences, at nearly 8.5 million cubic metres, which stabilised supply to the processing sector in 2021. This is the highest volume ever issued in a single year. Furthermore 671 forest road licences were issued, again the highest volume in any one year.

As the Deputy may be aware , we are building on this momentum this year, and have published ambitious targets in our detailed Forestry Licensing Plan for 2022. The Plan contains an overall target of 5,250 forestry licence. This represents a year-on-year increase of 30% on 2021. Within that, we have sub-targets for each category of licence and

- we intend to give a higher priority to afforestation licences, more than doubling output to 1,040 licences in 2022;

- we aim to achieve a year-on-year increase of 48% of private felling, roads and afforestation files,

- and specifically we will increase the number of forest road licences to 850, the number of private felling licences to 1,830 and we will retain Coillte felling licences at the same level as in 2021 at 1,530 licences.

As outlined in the Licensing Plan this means issuing on average around 100 licences a week. I am more than pleased to say that we have achieved that to date, with on average 100 licences issued per week up to 25th March. In fact we are 99% on target, as the estimated projected number to that date is 1,212 licences and we issued 1,203 licences.

In the interest of full transparency, details of all licences issued by category are available on the weekly dashboard. This is published on the Departmental website and is made available to all interested parties as well as being submitted to the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine each week.

It is inevitable, in the context of the annual target figures, there will be fluctuations in licence output and across categories from week to week. I am however encouraged by our output to date and I am assured by my Department that we will reach the projected targets across the various licence types.

I am fully committed to delivering a forestry sector that will benefit farmers, the environment and the economy and an effective and efficient licensing system is central to that. I believe the work underway under Project Woodland, along with our increased investment in resources and continual improvement, is helping us achieve better and responsive delivery, as is evidenced by our output to date this year.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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139. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the weekly target for the issuance of forestry licences; the weekly average to date in 2022; and the average number issued in each of the past four weeks. [16819/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine issued 4,050 forestry licences last year, which was an increase of 56% on the number issued in 2020. This included 2,877 felling licences, at nearly 8.5 million cubic metres, which stabilised supply to the processing sector in 2021. This is the highest volume ever issued in a single year. Furthermore 671 forest road licences were issued, again the highest volume in any one year.

As the Deputy may be aware , we are building on this momentum this year, and have published ambitious targets in our detailed Forestry Licensing Plan for 2022. The Plan contains an overall target of 5,250 forestry licences. This represents a year-on-year increase of 30% on 2021. Within that, we have sub-targets for each category of licence and

- we intend to give a higher priority to afforestation licences, more than doubling output to 1,040 licences in 2022;

- we aim to achieve a year-on-year increase of 48% of private felling, roads and afforestation files,

- and specifically we will increase the number of forest road licences to 850, the number of private felling licences to 1,830 and we will retain Coillte felling licences at the same level as in 2021 at 1,530 licences.

As outlined in the Licensing Plan this means issuing on average around 100 licences a week. I am more than pleased to say that we have achieved that to date, with on average 100 licences issued per week up to 25th March. In fact we are 99% on target, as the estimated projected number to that date is 1,212 licences and we issued 1,203 licences.

As regards the last four weeks, we issued 98 licences per average per week, and this was in period where one of those weeks was a three day working week due to public holidays.

In the interest of full transparency details of all licences issued by category are available on the weekly dashboard. This is published on the Departmental website and is made available to all interested parties as well as being submitted to the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine each week.

It is inevitable, in the context of the annual target figures, there will be fluctuations in licence output and across categories from week to week. I am however encouraged by our output to date and I am assured by my Department that we will reach the projected targets across the various licence types.

I am fully committed to delivering a forestry sector that will benefit farmers, the environment and the economy and an effective and efficient licensing system is central to that. I believe the work underway under Project Woodland, along with our increased investment in resources and continual improvement, is helping us achieve better and responsive delivery as is evidenced by our output to date this year.