Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 February 2021
242. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the average time the forestry appeals committee takes to determine a decision in relation to appeals; his views on the optimal time the committee should take when determining an appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6057/21]
View answer243. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific engagements he has had with the forestry appeals committee in order to ensure that its multiple divisions increase their sitting days and output in view of the licensing crisis facing the forestry and timber industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6058/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 242 and 243 together.
The Agriculture Appeals Office and the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) operate independently of my Department.
After introduction of new legislation in October 2020 which provides for sub-divisions of the FAC, an additional three divisions were set up and there are now four divisions of the FAC hearing appeals. The FAC consists of external appointees and existing Agriculture Appeals Officers. Additional resources were provided to the Agriculture Appeals Office in the 3rd quarter of 2020 to deal with the backlog of appeals and additional external members were also appointed to serve as Deputy Chairpersons and ordinary members.
Prior to the introduction of the new legislation in October 2020, the FAC was hearing an average of 24 licences per month. Since the sub-divisions were established, they are now hearing an average of 60 licences per month. As to the question of the average time it take to determine an appeal, there are currently 339 licences awaiting decision - 164 of those are scheduled with 175 awaiting scheduling. The table below shows which years those appeals refer to - the vast majority were lodged in 2020 and we expect all to be dealt with by the end of June, 2021.
|
FAC Licence Appeal Status |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
Totals |
|
Open (By Licence) |
33 |
296 |
8 |
339 |
|
Scheduled for hearing inc. Jan |
32 |
130 |
0 |
164 |
|
Total to be scheduled |
1 |
166 |
8 |
175 |
Given the 150% increase in output, the FAC must be cognisant of maintaining a high standard of process and procedure. The FAC, in consultation with the Agriculture Appeals Office, continues to review ways in which greater efficiency can be achieved across the four divisions of the FAC, while not impacting the quality of the work.
