Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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709. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his officials have been in contact with their counterparts in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the issue of planning permission and ash dieback in the week commencing 9 May 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25919/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As part of the Forestry Licensing Plan 2022, which  was published earlier this year, we have committed to refocusing on the delivery on approvals for the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) (Ash Dieback).

It is the case that 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. My Department is continuing to engage with the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage, with a view to amending legislation to remove the planning permission requirement in cases involving the replacement of broadleaf with conifers on sites under 10 ha.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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710. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when consultation on the next forestry programme will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25920/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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A national shared vision for the future of Ireland's trees and forests and a new Forestry Strategy are currently being developed by Working Group 2 of Project Woodland. 

An extensive public consultation process on the new strategy is well underway. Bilateral stakeholder meetings with members of the Working Group and officials from the Department have taken place over the last number of months. A public attitudes survey and a community engagement survey have already been completed and presented to the Forestry Policy Group.  An online public consultation was open from 16^thMarch to 27^thApril and over 3,000 responses were submitted. Deliberative dialogue in the form of a national event took place over the week ending 15th May. 

The new Forest Strategy will underpin a new Forestry Programme for the period 2023 - 2027. 

The Department will engage further with stakeholders on the measures that will be considered for the new Programme and details of this engagement will be made available in the coming weeks. The Programme will also be subject to a Strategic Environmental Analysis/Appropriate Assessment process, and this will include public consultation on the draft plans and Environmental Report. 

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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711. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current position of the study commissioned by COFORD into private forest certification in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25921/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As previously outlined in a recent parliamentary question the COFORD Council with funding from my Department has carried out a study on forest certification. Forest certification is a voluntary process used by forestry organisations to reassure consumers that the wood and wood products they buy come from sustainably managed forests.

The report is currently being prepared for publishing with a number of key recommendations on how to increase the level of certification in the private sector. The report outlines the extent of private certification in Ireland and examines similar models in other European Member States. 

The report outlines that there is approximately 15,680 hectares certified in the private forest estate, or less than 5.69% of the total private estate. Currently all Coillte forests are certified to both the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Standards (PEFC) standard.  

It has been agreed that the COFORD Council will  now prepare a business case outlining in detail the funding model and funds required to facilitate private certification as outlined in the report. Once this business case is received, my Department will examine the level of funding that is being provided by the forest sector and level of funding requested by my Department. The COFORD Council is scheduled to meet to this month and will discuss the work required in preparing a business case and next steps.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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712. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the project manager of Project Woodland is still involved in the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25922/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine  procured an external project manager for Project Woodland,  who has recently retired. A replacement project manager will be appointed imminently.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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713. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the final recommendations of the external review of the forestry licensing system will be presented to the Forestry Policy Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25923/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Project Woodland was established by Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector, over a year ago to improve the licensing system and deal with the backlog, and to drive forward the planting of trees under a shared vision for forestry in Ireland.

I am pleased to report that significant progress has been made.

Last November, as part of Project Woodland, the Department engaged the services of an external body with expertise in legal and environmental legislation to conduct a legal and regulatory review of forestry licensing. This external review is currently being finalised and following extensive ongoing stakeholder consultation, the publication of the Philip Lee and Associates Regulatory review is expected in the coming weeks.  

A status update on the draft report was included in a presentation made to the Forestry Policy Group on 6th April 2022, which is available on my Department's website.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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714. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a forestry group (details supplied) has requested membership to his Department's Organic Strategy Forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25924/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Organic Strategy Forum, which my colleague Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector, reconvened earlier this year is comprised of a broad range of stakeholders from the organic sector. A request has been received from the organisation named seeking to join the membership of the Forum.  This request is currently under review and a decision will issue to the organisation in due course.