I propose to take Questions Nos. 1990 and 1993 together.
As already advised, the forestry programme will be delivered entirely separately from the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) and will be subject to new State Aid rules rather than the requirements of the CSP regulations.
There are a number of stakeholder groups active at the moment inputting to both the CAP, Agri-Food Strategy 2030 and Forestry Programme processes amongst others. All of these processes have both stakeholders inputting directly and public consultation phases, so there is maximum opportunity for interested persons to make their views known.
The interlinkages between these two significant programmes of CAP and forestry is well understood and is, I believe, very much catered for. The Forestry Policy Group is the primary stakeholder group which will input into forestry policy development for the next Forestry Programme.
Various stakeholder organisations have representation on both the CAP post-2020 Consultative Committee and the Forestry Policy Group to further enhance coherence between both policy areas. Similarly, my Department is well coordinated internally to ensure that all of the relevant issues are included in these issues. My Department is engaging bilaterally also with the forestry sector on the CAP for this reason.
In addition, the newly-launched Project Woodland, which among other things looks to the development of woodland creation into the future, provides a dedicated Working Group for the preparation of a new Forestry Strategy for Ireland. This Working Group, chaired by Dr. Matt Crowe and with a representative membership of external stakeholders, seeks to develop a shared cross-society vision for the role of trees, woods and forests in Ireland's future.
I would like to re-iterate my commitment to a strong CAP Strategic Plan and to an ambitious successor to the Forestry Programme, both of which I would see as delivering for farmers, rural communities and for society as a whole. I also reiterate my commitment to better integration between both of these policies as envisaged in the Programme for Government and would encourage all stakeholders to make their views known on these important processes as they progress.