Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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363. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that existing legislation and regulations are adequate to ensure the provision of safe corridor widths for tree planting adjacent to ESB transmission lines; if not, the proposals, if any, there are to amend existing protections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10530/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The recent storms have resulted in considerable hardship throughout the country. We are taking all possible steps to facilitate an appropriate response to allow forest owners to clear blown trees in a safe and sustainable manner.

As regards forestry and powerlines, the legislative provisions reside in section 98 of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1927, as amended by Section 45 of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999. These allow the ESB and its representatives, taking due care and attention to avoid unnecessary damage, to lop or cut any tree, shrub or hedge which obstructs or interferes with any electrical wires. Such works are a matter between the ESB and anyone acting on their behalf, and the landowner in question, and do not require a felling licence from my Department.

There are also in place long standing forest design requirements to protect the electricity network where it interacts with forestry land, at different scales of supply, and the protection of utilities is considered and applied during afforestation approval processes.

Section 7 of the Forestry Standards manual provides guidance on how to deal with ESB lines interacting with grant aided forest areas. This guidance was based on an agreement between the ESB and the IFA which defined corridor widths by powerline type and other requirements regarding access. These requirements are outlined in the Forestry Standards Manual.

One of the actions for my Department in the Programme for Government is to work collaboratively with the ESB to support and accelerate the timber and vegetation clearance programme and I am fully committed to this process.

I, along with my colleagues, Ministers Healy-Rae and O’Brien, have established a Working Group to consider the issues that have arisen from recent storms in relation to the interaction of forests with power lines. It has held two meetings most recently last Friday and the ESB is drawing up a plan to improve the resilience of the grid ahead of winter 2025. Consideration is also being given to the extent of the powers available to the ESB to, for example, pre-emptively widen corridors, as well as the way in which the issue of compensation for forest owners is dealt with.

These matters are also being discussed in the Forest Windblow Taskforce, which is chaired by Minister Healy-Rae and whose primary focus is the safe and appropriate management of storm-damaged forests.