I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 27, 34, 71 and 89 together.
It is a condition of grant-aid for forestry development that all such proposals are compatible with the protection of the environment, and I am committed to ensuring that this remains the case. A number of controls are already in place. These include an environmental impact assessment and planning permission for afforestation projects over a certain size, and as a condition in every case of grant assistance, compliance with guidelines covering compatibility with the landscape, fisheries and archaeology.
On site pre-planting inspections by my Department's forestry inspectors and consultations with local authorities and other bodies, where there is environmental concern, are key features of our current procedures in seeking to ensure compatibility between forestry development and the environment. Environmental considerations are playing an increasingly important role in our current policies and practices.
It is important to stress the positive role of forestry in supplementing farming incomes, as an agent in rural development and as an economic sector which is growing in importance. Strong support for forestry development is apparent in rural communities, as evidenced by the fact that farmers accounted for about 56 per cent of private sector planting last year.