Written Answers Nos. 491-494
493. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are grants available for a person who is beekeeping and has three and a half acres to use for biodiversity for wildflowers for bee pollination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34126/21]
View answerThe Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has several supports in place for both beekeepers and for wild pollinators.
The main financial support available to beekeepers is through The Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector. This is open to all registered beekeepers and is a mechanism that can assist beekeepers invest in their apiaries and associated apiculture equipment for the future. Registration requirements for such producers are on the Department's website.
Under this scheme, aid at a rate of 40% is payable on the accepted cost of approved capital investments or equipment. The 2022 scheme is due to open in October 2021. Details of the 2021 scheme and eligibility requirements can be found at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/b16bf-horticulture-schemes/.
In relation to land available for biodiversity and pollinators there are no direct supports available. The current agri-environmental scheme GLAS has actions for wild bees as well as general biodiversity actions which support pollinators such as hedge planting and wild bird cover. The agri-environmental scheme for the next CAP is under development and pollinator actions are being developed in consultation with experts. The next agri-environmental scheme is due to open in 2023.
The Department recognises the important role of pollinators and the role farmland and agriculture has to play. With a third of Ireland's Bee species under threat of extinction, it has never been more important to take action to protect pollinators and the Department plays an active role in supporting many initiatives and projects which work to raise awareness, encourage action and undertake research on our pollinators.
The All Ireland Pollinator Plan is a hugely successful project which this Department has been involved with since its beginning in 2015. It provides a valuable resource on actions for all sectors from businesses to farmland to provide space where pollinators can survive and thrive. The AIPP has recently published its second plan which now includes a Farmland Pollinator Officer funded by the Department to further develop and promote ways in which farmland and farmers can support pollinators. Details can be found at https://pollinators.ie/.
494. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications in hand for forestry felling; the number of appeals pending in each county; the national information on the current average turnaround time for applications; and the measures that are in place to address this backlog. [34159/21]
View answerAlong with Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector, I am fully committed to improving license output and am more than aware of the importance of felling licences to forest owners and to the sector as a whole.
In this regard, Project Woodland, which was launched in February this year, has been set up with the objective of reviewing and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the forestry licensing system, as well as the creation of a shared national vision for forestry and the development of a new Forest Strategy.
Two working groups in particular are looking at the licensing situation. Working Group 1 is tasked with looking at the backlog. This Group has examined in detail the cases on hand and is producing specific recommendations for improving output, which will be brought to the Project Board for consideration. Working Group 4 is concentrating on licensing process improvement. A business analyst has commenced work on an end-to-end process review. In addition, proposals for a pre-application process and a planning grant are under development and will be submitted to the Project Board shortly. The Group is also actively considering how best to conduct a regulatory review of the licensing system.
While these initiatives are being worked on, we continue to issue licences and engage in a process of continuous improvement. To 18th June, a total of 1,594 licences have issued, which is 27% ahead of the same period last year, accepting that last year was low in terms of licencing output. In terms of timber volumes, the Department has issued licences for 3.14 million cubic metres. Overall, 971 tree felling licences have issued to date, of which 47% are private felling licences. I expect to maintain this momentum for the rest of the year and to reach the target of issuing 4,500 licences, which is a 75% increase on last year’s licencing output.
The number of tree felling licences on hand on 18th June, was 4,521, which includes 1,724 outstanding from the batch application of 1,864 licences received from Coillte in mid-March. The average length of time to decision for felling licences for those decided in 2021 is 12 months. It is ten months for afforestation and nine months for roads.
The number of outstanding forestry licences appeals with the operationally independent Forestry Appeals Committee is set out in the table below, broken down by licence type and county. Of these, 65 have already concluded the hearing appeal and a decision is awaited.
|
County |
Afforestation |
Felling |
Roads |
Total |
|
Cavan |
0 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
|
Clare |
4 |
3 |
0 |
7 |
|
Cork |
1 |
7 |
1 |
9 |
|
Donegal |
2 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
|
Galway |
7 |
10 |
2 |
19 |
|
Kerry |
3 |
6 |
2 |
11 |
|
Kilkenny |
0 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
|
Laois |
0 |
8 |
0 |
8 |
|
Leitrim |
30 |
5 |
1 |
36 |
|
Limerick |
0 |
6 |
0 |
6 |
|
Louth |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Mayo |
6 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
|
Meath |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Monaghan |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Offaly |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
|
Roscommon |
2 |
5 |
1 |
8 |
|
Sligo |
4 |
4 |
1 |
9 |
|
Tipperary |
4 |
6 |
0 |
10 |
|
Westmeath |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
|
Wexford |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
|
Wicklow |
1 |
3 |
1 |
5 |
|
Total |
70 |
76 |
13 |
159 |
