Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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979. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the European Commission has reverted to his Department with any questions or requests for further information in relation to the forestry programme application which was submitted in April; if so, the dates on which such requests or questions occurred; if any such questions or requests have been dealt with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28314/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022.

The new Programme is subject to State Aid approval under the Guidelines from the EU Commission. It is also subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment process, which is well advanced.

The Department has been engaging proactively and intensively with the Commission over the last few months in order to secure approval. Once it is received, we will be in a position to launch new forestry schemes, subject to finalization of the Strategic Environmental Assessment.

The position at the moment is that the Commission is reviewing our State Aid Notification and will decide whether the aid proposed under the new Programme is compatible with EU rules. To this end, I can confirm that my Department received further correspondence relating to our application from the Commission on Tuesday the 6th of June which will require a response. My Department will now respond to this correspondence comprehensively in as efficient a timeframe as possible.

Not all schemes under the Programme require State Aid approval under the Guidelines and on 24th April 2023, under the Agricultural Block Exemption Regulation, my Department opened two schemes for applications, the Forest Roads Scheme and the Innovative Forest Technology Scheme – Module 2 Investment Aid for the Development of the Forest Tree Nursery Sector.

In recognition of the need for forestry activity to continue, and pending the launch of the new Programme, my Department also engaged with the Commission last December to secure an interim solution which has led to the introduction of an Interim Afforestation Scheme, an Interim Forest Road Scheme and an interim Ash Dieback Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme via General De Minimis. This ensured that those with valid afforestation licences issued before the end of 2022 could avail of the current planting season under the higher grant and premium rates proposed under the new Programme.

Likewise, those with valid road licences and approvals under the Ash Dieback Scheme at the end of 2022 could avail of the higher grants and enhanced payment rates as proposed under the new Programme.

I would like to assure you that the launch of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is a matter of the utmost priority for everyone in the Department and all efforts are directed towards its early introduction.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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980. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide details on the projected timeline for the completion of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) attaching to the new forestry programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28315/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022.

The new Programme will benefit farmers, rural communities and our overall climate and environment.

The new Programme is subject to State Aid approval under the Guidelines in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas from the European Commission. It is also subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment process, which is well advanced.

My Department has been engaging proactively and intensively with the Commission in order to secure this approval . The position at the moment is that the Commission is reviewing our State Aid Notification and will decide whether the aid proposed under the new Programme is compatible with EU rules. To this end, I can confirm that my Department received further correspondence relating to our application from the Commission on Tuesday the 6^thof June which will require a response. My Department will now respond to this correspondence comprehensively in as efficient a timeframe as possible.

Once State Aid approval has been granted, the Strategic Environmental Assessment can be finalised, after incorporating any relevant outcomes of this process.

The launch of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is a matter of the utmost priority, as a comprehensive and well-subscribed Forestry Programme has the potential to deliver lasting benefits for climate change, biodiversity, wood production, economic development and quality of life.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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981. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm that there are no differences in the procedure or process through which private tree felling licences and Coillte tree felling licences are administered by the Forest Service of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28316/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Along with Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector, it is my aim to deliver a licensing system which meets the needs of all those who apply for forestry licences. This is regardless of whether that application comes from a private individual who wishes to plant trees, a forest owner who wishes to fell their crop, or Coillte who wishes to supply sawmills with product from their estate. Each licence has a value, particularly to the rural economy where the timber is harvested, transported and processed and the Department strives to maintain a healthy balance between Coillte and private applications. Coillte currently supply around 75% of sawlog to sawmills and will, for the foreseeable future, remain an important part of our forestry mix.

The equal treatment of all licence applications is borne out by the figures from 2023 and 2022. To date in 2023, my Department has issued 629 Coillte licences and 773 private felling licences and (45%/55% respectively). As regards the issuing of Coillte versus private felling licences last year, we received 3,293 tree felling licence applications, split between 1,686 Coillte and 1,607 private applications (51%/49% respectively).