asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry the action, if any, he plans to take on the recommendations on forestry produced in the report on forestry in the EC by the Oireachtas Joint Committee.
Written Answers. - Afforestation Programme.
44.
The report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee dealt primarily with an examination of the development of EC policy in regard to forestry and forest-based products with particular reference to (a) the Commission's communication to the Council of Ministers on a Community action programme for forestry and (b) the forestry aspects of Council Regulation No. 1820/80 on agricultural development in the west of Ireland. The views of the joint committee, which I find helpful and constructive, will be borne in mind by me and my Department when these matters are being discussed at the Council of Ministers.
As the Deputy knows, I set up a representative review group last year to examine the organisation and operation of the forest and wildlife service of my Department with a view to ensuring that the country's afforestation programme is developed and exploited to the best national advantage. I expect to receive the group's final report and recommendations very shortly and in examining these we will, of course, also have regard where appropriate to the relevant views and suggestions of the joint committee.
I would like to add that action has already been taken by me on a number of other points referred to by the joint committee as follows:— (i) steps have been taken to encourage and promote increased private afforestation on which I recently launched a publicity campaign; (ii) the recommendations of the interdepartmental committee on the sale of State-owned timber have been accepted by the Government; some of these have already been implemented while others are currently being processed by my Department in consultation with the trade interests concerned with a view to early implementation; (iii) details of a pilot project on co-operative forestry prepared in conjunction with the ICOS have been submitted to the EC Commission for consideration for financial aid; and (iv) a small experimental project on pastoral forestry has been started.