Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 November 2021
400. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the additional measures that will be implemented to eliminate the unacceptable delays in processing applications for forest planting and felling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55398/21]
View answerFirstly let me say how seriously both myself and Minister Hackett take the forestry licensing issue. Significant time and resources have been devoted to dealing with the backlog and this is beginning to have the desired effect.
In the last two months we have issued over 1,000 licences. This means that licences are issuing at nearly double the rate of applications received and every week means a net reduction in the number of licences on hand. I remain confident that we will reach our target of 4,000 licences this year.
As to additional measures to assist with improving our process, Project Woodland is the framework introduced earlier this year to help with the effectiveness and efficiency of the licensing system.
I am pleased to report that substantial work has been undertaken by all Working Groups and the Project Board of Project Woodland, with regular meetings held resulting in a high level of output in both terms of quality and quantity. The Project Board, published its second interim report on the 29th October, which updates on progress to date and is available at www.gov.ie/en/publication/642e6-forestry/#project-woodland
Of particular relevance to licensing is the external regulatory review. My Department has placed a contract for the regulatory review with report due by end February, 2022. It will review the existing statutory framework for the licensing of forestry activities in relation to environmental and public participation obligations in order that practical advice can be provided to the Department on how to work more efficiently within the existing legal framework.
In addition, an independent Systems Analyst is conducting an end-to-end process review with a view to licensing process improvement and an interim report on this work has recently been submitted to the Project Board.
There has been significant work carried out on all other aspects of Project Woodland too and some of these, along with the process and regulatory review, will inform the setting of definitive timelines for the delivery of forestry licences. These include:
- A pilot project for pre-application discussions.
- Payment of an Environmental Planning Grant.
- A new Customer Charter for forestry.
- A Communication Plan that assists in conveying the multi-functional benefits of forestry.
- A review of the organisational structure of forestry within my Department.
- Commission of a Training Needs analysis.
- Definition of the backlog and associated dashboards.
- Actions relating to reduction of the backlog.
Alongside Project Woodland, my Department continues to address the licensing issue, and we have invested significant resources to deal with the backlog, which I know is impacting the sector. We now have 27 ecologists, and additional forestry inspectors and administrative staff have been put in place. Furthermore, improved processes have been introduced to allow ecologists focus on the ecological aspects of files referred to them.
In conclusion, I would like to recognise the momentum and progress made under Project Woodland and the increased momentum in terms of licences issued. I would also like to reiterate my commitment and that of Minister Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector, to ensuring that that we maintain and improve on our licence delivery for the benefit of the sector, as well as society as a whole.
