Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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925. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of private sector forest road licences with an attached single consent application that remain to be processed by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17805/22]

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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926. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the years the applications for forest road licences with single consent applications attached which remain unapproved were received by his Department on an annual basis in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17806/22]

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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927. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of Coillte forest road licences with an attached single consent application that remain to be processed by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17807/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 925, 926 and 927 together.

In February 2020, Section 8 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018 was commenced and the Forestry (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations, 2020 (SI No. 39 of 2020), were signed. This legislation made provision for my Department to act as the single consent authority for applications for forest road works licences, where the forest road provides access to a public road (other than a national road) or there is material widening of an existing entrance. Forest owners wishing to carry out such works no longer require a grant of planning from their local authority.

To 30th March 2022, the Department has received a total of 480 forest road works applications under the single consent process. At the moment 217 of those applications are awaiting a decision. Coillte forest road under the single consent process accounts for 33 of those outstanding applications.

The table below shows the years that the applications for forest roads with single consent were received; of these approximately one-third are awaiting further information from the applicant, in order that they may be processed.

We issued 671 road licences in 2021 in respect of 264 kilometres which is double the target in the Climate Action Plan 2021. We have committed to issue 820 road licences this year, as outlined in the Forestry Licensing Plan This is a 27% increase on the number of road licences issued in 2021. We are keeping pace with expected output to date this year, with 203 road licences issued to 1st April, 2022.

Details of our Licensing Plan may be found at www.gov.ie/en/publication/forestry-policy-and-strategy/#forestry-licensing-plan-2022

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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931. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date the Secretary General of his Department committed to the Joint Oireachtas Committee to engage with his counterpart in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with regard to the issue of planning permission for the conversion to conifers from dead and dying ash; the progress to date and the expected date such talks will be concluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17846/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Forestry Licensing Plan 2022 was published earlier this year and deals with projected licensing output and approvals for support schemes.

A key target of the plan is to refocus on the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) (Ash Dieback). The scheme provides 100% grant aid to landowners to clear their ash crop, replant with an alternate species and manage their forest until successfully established. Many RUS applications are screened in for Appropriate Assessment and are referred to ecology. Of these, any that propose replacing the ash crop with conifer species currently require planning permission.

On 14th September last, the Secretary General of my Department committed to engaging with his counterpart on the matter. This direct engagement has taken place and the Department officials are continuing to engage with the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), to explore the possibility of removing the planning permission requirement for applications that require planning permission, subject to compliance with existing EU laws and regulations. There has been positive engagement, these deliberations are ongoing and any changes in planning process will require legislative amendment.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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932. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the fact that ash plantations infected by ash dieback are now starting to rot and present a serious health and safety issue in their removal. [17847/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The damage caused by ash dieback disease is rapidly increasing across the full natural range of ash in Europe and here in Ireland. The disease is likely in the coming years to have a catastrophic impact on ash wherever it occurs in the Irish landscape, including in hedgerows and in the wider natural environment. Forestry contractors are well aware of the risks in felling trees and the precautions required and their health and safety responsibilities when working or managing others who work in forests.

There will be additionally inevitable health and safety aspects associated with diseased trees, especially on roadways. The Department has last year issued 'A Guide for landowners to managing Roadside Trees'.

This excellent publication produced by the Department with the Tree Council of Ireland outlines specific issues related to health and safety in tree work and gives practical guidance to those working with chainsaws taking out hazardous trees.

The HSA also provided an information note on this subject, 'Chainsaw Safety Training Advice Information Sheet (2015).

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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933. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department process in tandem private sector tree felling licences and forest road licences that are applied for by applicants for the same site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17873/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The felling and forest road licence application system involves two separate licensing processes.

Felling licences may be applied for up to 10 years and road licences for up to three years and it is often the case that they are not applied for at the same time.

If the Department receives these applications at the same time, for the same site, they will be dealt with by the same District Inspector and it is reasonable that in organising their workload they would be dealt with in tandem; there could of course be different issues with each application, and requests for further information, which could mean that they are processed at a different pace.