Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

380. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the expenditure by the Forestry Service for November 2022 compared with November 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61551/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The expenditure under the Forestry Budget for the month of November 2021 and 2022 is shown in the table below and shows an increase of €1 million in expenditure compared to last year:

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

381. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the percentage of the annual afforestation licence target reached by his Department to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61552/22]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

382. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actual applications versus the phased projected monthly plan for licence and scheme applications in his Department’s plan for November 2022 and for the year to date in Coillte felling, private felling, roads, afforestation and ash dieback RUS, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61553/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 381 and 382 together.

There is a significant increase across all licensing categories in the year to date compared with last year. Up to 30th November, we have issued 4,468 licenses, just behind the projected target of 4,848. In addition, on 2 December 2022, there were 1,103 approved afforestation contracts with 7,479ha ready for planting.

In terms of our targets in the year-to date, we are at 92% of our target for roads, 89% for private felling and over 100% for Coillte felling. Afforestation figures are 69% of year-to-date target.  We continue to focus on clearing older files ahead of the new forestry programme which was recently announced.

Since the commencement of the RUS – Ash dieback scheme, and up to 2nd December this year, a total of 941 applications have been received. Of this total, 368 have been approved and one refused. 572 remain on hand which are at various stages of the approval process. Many of these applications are screened in for Appropriate Assessment and are referred to ecology, and any of these applications that propose replacing the ash crop with conifer species currently require planning permission.

The introduction of the legislation to remove the requirement for planning permission for Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme projects less than 10ha in size that involve the replacement of broadleaf high forest with conifer species is a matter for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.  I am informed that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage completed their internal environmental assessment of the legislation just last week and the legislation is expected to be in place very shortly.  This will simplify the process for a large cohort of applications on hand and I understand that this will lead to an increase in RUS approvals being issued by my Department.

The table below outlines applications received and licence output vs target in each of the licensing categories, as well as RUS applications received and issued.