Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 June 2021
293. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 529 of 25 May 2021, if both of the two senior forestry inspectors share the same roles and responsibilities; if not, the way in which these roles and responsibilities are split; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33673/21]
View answerThere are two forestry Senior Inspectors. Both are permanent staff members. They do not share the same role.
One is the Head of the Forestry Inspectorate Division whose main responsibilities are to manage Forestry Inspectors, Ecologists and Archaeologists within this Division in the implementation of licence and scheme delivery, enforcement and monitoring. In addition, this Senior Inspector is also responsible for Forest Health, which amongst other things is related to import controls at some of the Irish ports, export certification, regulatory aspects of Wood Packaging and regulatory aspects of Forest Reproductive material.
The other Senior Inspector is responsible for the Forest Sector Development Division which looks after forest and climate policy, implementation of the European Timber Regulation and collecting data and publishing Irelands National Forest Inventory. This Division is also responsible for Ireland's international forest reporting requirements on greenhouse gas inventories and representation at EU forums on forest policy. He is also responsible for the coordination and facilitation of the COFORD Council and its associated working groups.
Both Senior Inspectors report directly to the Assistant Secretary with responsibilities for forestry.
