Forestry Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020

Tuesday, 3 November 2020

Questions (1494)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

1494. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications received and the decisions made for licences for felling, afforestation, forest road works or aerial fertilisation by month in tabular form; the number of decisions appealed; the outcome of those appeals as set out in section 4 of the Forestry Act 2020 which inserted section 14B(13) of the Agriculture Appeals Act 2001; the number of appeals dismissed as vexatious; and the length of time the appeal process took by month in tabular form. [32440/20]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 was signed into law by the President on 2nd October 2020 and the Act commenced on 6th October 2020 in full. The secondary legislation required to give effect to the Act was introduced on 7th October, 2020. The new Act, amending the Agriculture Appeals Act, was designed to align forestry licensing appeals process with best practice in other appeals processes.

I have resourced the Forestry Appeals Committee to commence hearing more appeals in line with the provisions set out in the Act. It will be a matter for the FAC who are independent of my Department to report on their own progress and they update their decisions weekly on their website at:

http://www.agriappeals.gov.ie/forestryappealscommittee/http://www.agriappeals.gov.ie/forestryappealscommittee/

My Department publishes a range of licening statistics on its website. The infoirmation requested is currently being updated to incorporate output to the end of October. This will be forwarded separately to the Deputy.