asked the Minister for Lands whether he will now state if it is intended to establish, under Section 10 of the Forestry Act, 1946, the consultative council mentioned in that section; further, whether he will state the causes of the delay in setting up the consultative council, for the establishment of which provision was made in the Act, which became law on the 12th June, 1946; and whether, if the delay in setting up the consultative committee is due to the fact that the Forestry Act, 1946, has not been brought into operation, he will state the grounds on which it was found necessary to have the Act passed into law 18 months ago.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Forestry Act—Consultative Council.
Mr. Corish
No decision has been made as to the setting up of a forestry consultative committee under Section 10 of the Forestry Act, 1946.
In reply to a previous question I stated on the 9th October last that the delay in bringing the Act into force was due to unforeseen difficulties in the drafting of the necessary statutory and other forms. Progress in that connection has been made in the meantime and it is hoped that the Act will be brought into operation in the next few months.
At the time the Forestry Act, 1946, was passed it was anticipated that conditions affecting the supply of materials essential to tree planting would shortly improve to such an extent as would render the replanting conditions of the Act more readily enforceable. That anticipation has not been fulfilled and, while the provision of supplies is now somewhat better, it is not yet as satisfactory as my Department would wish before commencing generally to enforce the replanting conditions of the new Act.
Would the Minister state why no decision was reached as to the setting up of the consultative committee provided for under the Act?
Will the Deputy repeat the question?
We have been given no reason as to why the consultative committee was not set up. The reply merely says that it has not been set up.
The Minister is under no legal obligation to set up the consultative committee.
I would suggest to the Minister that presumably provisions were embodied in the Act for a consultative committee with the intention that it would be set up and not that it would not be set up.
Admittedly that is so. If at any time it becomes either feasible or necessary it will be set up.