Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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264. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current timeline for the processing of applications for tree felling; the measures being implemented to shorten that time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26164/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is steadily reducing the time-lines for processing all felling applications and has improved the timelines.

In terms of turnaround time for those felling applications approved in 2024, the time periods for approvals were nine months for those applications screened out for appropriate assessment, and 10 months for screened-in applications.

Over the last three years my Department has invested significantly in additional resources to address the increased complexity of licensing applications which has resulted from more stringent environmental requirements. These included investments in additional forestry inspectors, ecologist and administrative staff. We have also implemented changes to our systems and processes on foot of the recommendations contained in an independent end-to-end Systems and Processes Analysis.

In 2023 my Department issued 2,838 felling licences.