Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 January 2022
1997. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason licences for Coillte are approved at a far higher rate than private sector licences; and the steps his Department is willing to take to equalise this discrepancy. [2068/22]
View answerAlong with Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector, it is my aim to deliver a licensing system which meets the needs of all those who apply for forestry licences.
This is regardless of whether that application comes from a private individual who wishes to plant trees, a forest owner who wishes to fell their crop, or Coillte who wishes to supply sawmills with product from their estate. Each licence has a value particularly to the rural economy where the timber is harvested, transported and processed.
As regards the issuing of Coillte versus private licences last year we received 3,601 tree felling licence applications, split between 2,299 Coillte and 1,309 private applications (64%/36% respectively). My Department issued 1,345 private felling licences and 1,532 to Coillte in 2021.
This highlights that overall, there was no great disparity between Coillte and private licences (47%/53% respectively), notwithstanding the greater number of Coillte applications received.
