I propose to take Questions Nos. 498, 500 and 502 together.
I fully recognise the impact the current forestry licensing delays are having on the sector. It is my immediate priority to resolve the issues which have led to this backlog and to issue licences in the volume needed for this important sector to continue to contribute to our rural economy and to help achieve our environmental goals.
You will be aware of the delays caused by changes to the licensing system, which means that a significant number of cases now need ecological input in order to comply with environmental requirements. We are tackling these delays by means of a systematic project plan. We have invested heavily in resources including the recruitment of additional ecologists, forestry inspectorate and administrative staff, with extra resources to be added in 2021. This has already resulted in an increase in the number of licences issued, and the last quarter of 2020 saw the highest number of licences issued last year.
The total number of licences which issued in 2020 was 2,593. Over 4,300ha of new afforestation and 129km of forest roads were licensed. The total volume of felling licences issued for 2020 was just over 5 million cubic metres, of which almost 2m cubic metres representing 40% of annual output issued in the last quarter of the year. This positive trend is continuing this month, with 177 licences issued in the first two weeks of January, which includes timber volume of nearly 450,000 m3. The aim is to sustain and build substantially on that output and ensure the consistent high level of output that the sector needs.
Furthermore, we have also implemented changes to the functioning of the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) and acted quickly to propose and implement the Forestry Act 2020. I have significantly resourced the FAC and four appeals committees are now set up and hearing appeals. The FAC is now hearing an average of 60 licences per month representing an increase of 150 percent. The FAC in consultation with the Agriculture Appeals Office is currently reviewing ways in which greater efficiency can be achieved across the four divisions of the FAC.
On 1st October we had 4,832 applications on hand for processing. We have issued 1,045 new licences since then and currently have 4,453 licences on hand for processing when new applications received since are included. A breakdown of these figures is below.
Felling: There were 3,230 tree felling applications on hand at 1st October. 2020; 2,760 felling licences are on hand at present; 774 have been licensed since 1st October at a volume of 2.424m cubic metres. Since 1st October 29 felling licence decisions have been appealed for 474ha/124,803m3.
Forest Roads: There were 642 forest road applications on hand at 1st October, 2020; 684 road licences are on hand at present; 99 have been licensed since 1st October at 37.48kms. Since 1st October 10 licences were appealed at 5.2km.
Afforestation: There were 960 afforestation licence applications on hand on 1st October, 2020; 1,009 afforestation licences are on hand at present, 172 have been licensed since 1st October at 1,638.75 hectares. Since 1st October 23 licences were appealed totalling 306ha.
On the question of appeals received since 1st October, 62 licences have been appealed since that date.
In conclusion I would like to reiterate my commitment to supporting the forest sector and to building on the recent progress so that a continual improvement in delivery is achieved.
