asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry in relation to the findings of the Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Quota/Tender Sales Systems for Disposal of State-owned Timber, the steps, if any, being taken to ensure that its recommendations are being implemented, in particular those relating to: (a) providing the timber industry with advance detailed information on the availability of timber supplies for planning purposes; (b) the encouragement of the installation in mills of the processing equipment necessary to upgrade Irish timber; and (c) the removal of the anomalous situation whereby timber sold under the large sawlog quota scheme, which is generally of higher quality and value than that sold under the tender system, is nevertheless sold at a lower price.
Written Answers. - Disposal of State-owned Timber.
The recommendations in the report have been accepted by the Government and arrangements for their implementation are in train. Specifically in regard to the items mentioned by the Deputy the position is as follows:—
(a) information regarding availability of sawlog supply in the current year will be supplied to the industry shortly; in subsequent years it will be provided much earlier in the year. Incidentally preliminary discussions, involving my Department, the IDA and the IIRS, on the revision of eligibility criteria for a large sawlog quota scheme have taken place and the matter will now be pursued with the industry;
(b) this was not a feature of the report's recommendations and would in any case be more appropriate to the IDA and the industry;
(c) the anomalous situation referred to has been terminated.