Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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498. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the IT structures for the processing of forestry application under the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027 are in place; and if not, to provide a timeframe for when the IT structures will be in place. [42693/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The IT structures are in place for the processing of afforestation applications under the new Forestry Programme 2023 to 2027. The Afforestation Scheme opened for applications on 6 September 2023 and we have begun issuing licences.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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499. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when full training on the requirements under the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will be provided to the forestry sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42694/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Significant training requirements exist to support the delivery of the new Forestry Programme, and this work is already underway. My Department held two initial online information sessions for Registered Foresters on the new afforestation scheme in advance of its launch on 6 September.

Further training is required in a number of areas, particularly land types identification. In-person and field training is being provided to Registered Foresters and other relevant professionals throughout October, and will be delivered regionally. In addition, a series of short webinars will be held to cover specific issues, in particular the use of new INET features, Native Woodland Establishment, the Deer and Tree Shelter Scheme, Forest Design, Forest Roads, and further Land Types Identification training and orientation. This training has commenced and we have written to registered foresters and other relevant professionals with details and times of future training events.

Guidance documents such as Land Types for Afforestation and Environmental Requirements for Afforestation are also available on my Department's website, at the following link gov.ie - Regulation, Forest Health and Resources (www.gov.ie). An FAQ document on the Afforestation Scheme 2023-2027 is available here gov.ie - Forestry Grants and Schemes (www.gov.ie).

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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500. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to detail the measures his Department is taking to support the forestry sector, given the low level of forestry applications over the past two years. [42695/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to advise that following on from recent State Aid approval from the European Commission, the Government adopted this programme on 6 September. This is a significant milestone for forestry that will allow for the expansion, protection and development of Ireland’s forests and forestry sector.

I have always been conscious of the needs of the sector and therefore to bridge the gap between the new and old programmes, my Department introduced 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.

My Department then also facilitated a number of changes for these interim schemes following industry engagement, such as the changing of the species mix requirements for broadleaves and allowing flexibility where there were a shortage of broadleaf species available for planting to meet the requirements under FT11 and FT12.

To date this year we have issued grant payments for the planting of 1,368 hectares of new forests and for the construction of 49 kilometres of forest roads. Total payments in grants, which ultimately go to the sector, is €16.9 million to date as compared to €15.7 million in the same period last year.

I am pleased to advise that the new Afforestation Scheme for the 2023-2027 period opened for applications on 6 September 2023. This Afforestation Scheme offers landowners a choice of 12 Forest Types which cover a broad range of planting options. It provides generous incentives to farmers in particular to re-engage with forestry. This can be seen in our increased premia rates for Afforestation. These increases range from between 46% to 66% , along with a longer premia term of 20 years for farmers, compared to 15 years for non-farmers across most Forest Types.

Agroforestry has also been revised significantly to facilitate uptake. Agroforestry was first introduced to Ireland’s forestry support schemes in 2015, and the new Afforestation Scheme will increase the period for premiums from five to 10 years. To date, support has targeted the establishment of silvopastoral systems which combine forestry and pasture, including grazing and the growing of fodder. It is proposed to expand this in the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 with pilot schemes for both silvoarable and forest gardening systems.

The Programme also contains a new Native Tree Area Scheme, which builds on a recent amendment to the Forestry Act 2014 that removed the licensing requirement for the planting of native woodland in areas not greater than one hectare. It is our objective to increase and encourage interest in small-scale planting, and I am confident that this change to the Act will remove a barrier to such planting. This Native Tree Area Scheme will open tomorrow for applications.

I am committed to working with all our stakeholders to substantially increase our afforestation rates over the next decade. I am confident that the diverse range of forest types on offer, coupled with attractive grants and premiums in the new Forestry Programme, will support an increase in forestry afforestation and support scheme applications. A comprehensive and well-subscribed forestry programme has the potential to deliver lasting benefits for not just for climate change, but for biodiversity, wood production, economic development and quality of life.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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501. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to detail the stakeholders consulted in the development of the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027; the number of meetings with each; and the topic of said meetings. [42696/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Last year, my Department published for the first time a Shared National Vision for Trees, Woods and Forests in Ireland until 2050 which was informed by a series of extensive engagement and consultation. This Vision then informed a new Forestry Strategy for Ireland, which was developed via Working Group 2 of Project Woodland. In conjunction, a Forest Strategy Implementation Plan was also developed to facilitate the initial steps in the implementation of the Forest Strategy. This Plan includes the Forestry Programme for the period 2023-2027, which will be the main implementation vehicle for the Forest Strategy in the immediate to short term.

A summary of the methodology used, the results of the consultations, and the influence of the consultation and engagement on the National Shared Vision is available on my Department’s website. For clarity this includes further details on;

– A Public Attitudes Survey (Behaviour and Attitudes, 2022). This study featured a questionnaire based on face-to-face interviews with 1,000 adults.

– Online Public Consultation Survey (M-CO, 2022). An online questionnaire was held for six weeks and received more than 3,000 responses.

– Deliberative Dialogue (M-CO, 2022). This two-day, online citizens’ assembly style event involved a representative sample of 99 people debating and deliberating the future of forestry in Ireland.

– Assessment of the Attitudes of Communities and Interested Parties (Irish Rural Link, 2022). This study focused on the impact forests have on local communities. It featured an online questionnaire, a series of focus groups, and a comparative study on forest practices in Ireland, Finland and Scotland.

– Youth Forum (Foróige, 2022). A youth dialogue was held in January 2022 to assess the attitudes of young people to trees and forests.

– Bilateral Meetings with Stakeholders. My Department held individual meetings with 27 key stakeholders between November 2021 and June 2022. Details of the key findings from these meetings are available in the Summary Report.

In addition, all members of the Forestry Policy Group (FPG) were invited to attend a stakeholder consultation workshop on the Forestry Programme Interventions in July 2022. Over 30 participants attended this workshop at which the draft Interventions were presented. My Department led breakout sessions where all attendees had the opportunity to discuss each Intervention in detail. Valuable feedback was received on each Intervention.

The draft Forest Strategy and draft Forest Strategy Implementation Plan (including the Forestry programme 2023-2027) were also published with the associated SEA Environmental Report and AA Natura Impact Report on 18 October 2022 for a six-week period of public consultation. The consultation was open to all interested parties including, but not limited to, an individual, company or association. My Department received approximately 129 submissions on the draft Forest Strategy and received more than 150 submissions on the draft Forest Strategy Implementation Plan. These submissions reflect a range of views are representative of a cross section of Irish society have been taken into account in the Forest Strategy and Forest Strategy Implementation Plan (including the Forestry Programme 2023-2027) which was published on 7 September 2023.

I am content that the FPG is fully representative of all relevant stakeholders from across the forestry sector and that members of all relevant stakeholder groups have contributed equally to the development of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027.

My Colleague, Minister of State Hackett also intends to form a Forestry Programme Consultative Committee (FPCC) within the coming weeks. The FPCC members will be selected from a broad range of relevant stakeholders, acknowledging that it is essential that on-going stakeholder engagement is continued to ensure a successful outcome for the Forest Strategy implementation Plan and the Forestry Programme 2023-2027.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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503. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what supports are available for forestry applicants to offset the costs of environmental impact assessment reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42698/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am happy to say that the new forestry programme includes an Environment Report Grant to ensure that applicants and their agents are reasonably reimbursed for the additional costs associated with the required standard and scope of the environmental reports submitted.

Environmental reports that are eligible for this grant may include:

– A Pre-Screening Report

– A Habitat Description and Map

– An Ecology Report covering non-Appropriate Assessment ecology requirements

– A Natura Impact Statement.

– Archaeology Impact Assessment

– Archaeology Monitoring Report

– Other reports, such as bird surveys, botanical surveys, water and landscape-related assessments and Environmental Impact Assessment Reports may also be required and are also eligible.

The grant rate is €450 per hectare for first hectare, €400 for second hectare, €350 for third hectare and €50 per ha for subsequent hectares to a maximum of 20 hectares

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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504. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of staff in the forestry services who are authorised to sign off on environmental impact assessment reports, by grade, in tabular form. [42699/23]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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505. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of environmental impact assessment reports received by the forestry service; and the number of reports processed by the service, from 2022 to date, in tabular form. [42700/23]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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506. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of staff in the forestry service who are authorised to sign off on environmental reports for impacts to bird species, by grade, in tabular form. [42701/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 504, 505 and 506 together.

Within my Department, the Forestry Inspectorate assessed the technical aspects of forestry licence and scheme applications. Currently within the Forestry Inspectorate there are a total of 65 permanent professional/technical staff, 56 of whom have a role in licencing either directly or by providing support functions. These include forestry inspectors, archaeologists, ecologists and engineers. In addition, my Department employs a number of ecology companies to assist with files that require ecology input. The breakdown of the permanent staff within the Forestry Inspectorate Division who are involved in licensing forestry files is as follows:

All forestry Inspectors and all ecologists have a role in the protection of birds species. Bird reports provided to the Department as part of an application vary in nature and complexity. Some can be dealt with by Forestry Inspectors while those requiring a judgement around the significance of planting on certain bird species will normally be referred to an ecologist. The Forestry Inspectors are the licensing Inspectors and they must satisfy themselves that all issues including the protection of birds are dealt with in accordance with DAFM procedures before certifying the file.

In relation to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), any afforestation project of 50 hectares or greater in size requires a mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and any forest road development two kilometres or more in size requires a mandatory EIAR from the applicant. In addition, all afforestation applications and all forest road applications are subject to a screening for a sub threshold EIA. This is carried out by the 20 District Inspectors and the two Regional Inspectors. The breakdown of their role, grades and numbers are as follows.

My Department received one EIAR in 2022, which is still being processed and my Department has not received an EIAR in 2023.

While all forestry Inspectors, ecologists and archaeologists working on applications are authorosed officers under the Forestry Act 2014 there is no requirement to be formally authorised to sign off on an EIA, so there is therefore no such list. A multi-disciplinary team within my Department led by a Forestry Inspector Grade 1 examines any EIAR submitted