Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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795. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if large-scale investors associated with a semi-state forestry company will be allowed to claim forestry premiums in the next forestry programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50165/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and is operationally independent from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Under their new forestry strategic vision, Coillte have stated their aim to grow 100,000 hectares of new forests by 2050, supporting the delivery of one-third of Ireland’s afforestation target and providing a carbon sink of 18 million tonnes of CO2. This is essential if Ireland is to meet its forestry targets.

Part of this strategy will be achieved through Coillte's collaboration with third parties in projects. Coillte will not be in direct receipt of any premiums as a result of their participation in these projects. Where the land is in private ownership, it is eligible for premiums.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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796. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Forestry Service advertised and accepted applications for a forest-frost reconstitution scheme without having a standard operating procedure in place to deal with the applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50166/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department launched a Reconstitution scheme to address frost damage earlier this year. The scheme was set up due to significant late spring frost events which took place during May 2019, May 2020, and May 2021. The scheme was established to reconstitute newly planted forests significantly damaged by these frost events and replacing dead trees with plants of acceptable quality, provenances and species. It is also to provide for remedial pruning of damaged crops where damage is significant but not severe enough to warrant full replacement of stems.

The scheme was open to private forest owners who planted during the period between 1st November 2017 and 1st June 2021 and whose entire plantations sustained a minimum of 30% losses were eligible to apply under the Scheme. The scheme was open for applications from Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 with a closing date for applications of Tuesday 31st May , 2022.

The Scheme documents and process were put in place for an early launch of the scheme to allow applications from the sector and the internal DAFM staff Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) developed subsequently.

My Department received 350 applications and these applications are currently being processed and acknowledgements issuing.

Full scheme details are available on gov.ie - Schemes and Payments (www.gov.ie).

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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797. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 738 and 739 of 4 October 2022, the number of forest-frost reconstitution applications that are with his Department now; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50167/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine launched a Reconstitution scheme to address frost damage earlier this year. The scheme was set up due to significant late spring frost events which took place during May 2019, May 2020, and May 2021. The scheme was established to reconstitute newly planted forests significantly damaged by these frost events and replace dead trees with plants of acceptable quality, provenance and species. It is also to provide for remedial pruning of damaged crops where damage is significant but not severe enough to warrant full replacement of stems.

The scheme was open to private forest owners who planted during the period between 1st November 2017 and 1st June 2021 and whose entire plantations sustained a minimum of 30% losses. The scheme was open for applications from Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 with a closing date for applications of Tuesday 31st May , 2022.

The Department received 350 applications during this timeframe. These applications are currently being processed and acknowledgements have begun to issue.

Full scheme details are available on gov.ie - Schemes and Payments (www.gov.ie).