Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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577. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason there is such a backlog in dealing with foresters’ native tree area scheme applications in light of their exemption from planning (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9519/25]

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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588. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current average waiting time for approval for native tree area scheme applications; if they are exempt from planning and that applications are supposed to be approved within six weeks; the measures he will take to ensure the six-week target is met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9777/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 577 and 588 together.

The Native Tree Area Scheme was introduced to facilitate small-scale tree planting and does not require an afforestation licence, therefore does not go through the licensing procedure. Strict conditions for eligibility to the Scheme do however exist to ensure sufficient safeguards are in place and to prevent any negative impact on the environment.

Applications received by my Department are reviewed for completeness to ensure they are a valid application which can be progressed to decision stage. This process involves careful assessment of each application from a silvicultural, environmental and scheme compliance perspective.

The average waiting time for the 349 NTAS applications that were approved in 2024 was 46 days from the date of receipt. Approval times can vary depending on a number of factors, including if an application is complete when received. Currently, there are 61 applications (66ha) in the system being reviewed to ensure they are a valid application and resources have been put in place to prioritise these.