The Deputy knows full well why that is the case.

The Deputy is being disingenuous.

That is disingenuous.

I thank Senator Boylan for bringing forward this legislation. At the outset I should say that the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, intended to take this item. I offered to replace him because the bell has been ringing non-stop in the Dáil and I wanted to facilitate the smooth passage of the debate and look after the welfare of my fellow Senators. That is why he is not here. It is worth acknowledging that the Seanad, this wonderful Chamber, has discussed issues in relation to animal welfare on many occasions, as mentio…

I thank the Deputy for his continued interest in this matter. As he will be aware, the wool feasibility study report was published in July of this year. The review, which was compiled independently by The Agile Executive, contains a number of findings and recommendations, including potential funding streams, market opportunities for wool and multiple areas for additional research and development. One of the main recommendations of the review was the establishment of an independent wool council by the industry, and …

I assure the Deputy that we have delivered on the programme for Government commitment. He will recall that we were in the midst of a Covid crisis for some time in the early part of the Government's term. We have come out of that well. I thank The Agile Executive, which went to great lengths to engage with stakeholders and put together this significant report, which contains a wealth of information on the wool sector and the potential direction to take. That is why we need the wool council to be formed as soon as po…

To clarify, the €30,000 is to help the establishment of the wool council. Once the council has been established, it is up to it, as the industry stakeholders, to come together with the ideas. Who knows what lies ahead? I urge the stakeholders to do that very swiftly. I would welcome any all-island approach and support the council may well achieve and engagement with farmers and stakeholders in Northern Ireland also. I acknowledge the potential benefits and uses of wool, of which there are many. Insulation is one as…

Personally, no, but I will find out for the Deputy and let him know if my officials have engaged.

We will know more following the meeting about the wool council next week. We need to get there and to move on from that point.

I thank the Deputy for this question. Contrary to his understanding, I am pleased to advise that, due to the continued high output in forestry licensing this year, we have seen considerable reductions in the backlog of forestry licences and a year-on-year increase in the number of licences issued. We have invested significantly and strategically in easing the licensing backlog. We are issuing more licences than applications received, which is leading to faster turnaround times for new applicants. At the start of th…

I can only reassure the Deputy. The weekly figures on how many forestry licences are being issued, the areas involved, the road lengths in question and so forth can be accessed through our Department's website. There has been a significant turnaround in the two and a half years since this Government took office. The House will be aware that we ground to a halt because of European court judgments against Ireland. We were not doing what we should have been doing, resulting in our Department having to transform how it…

I acknowledge that confidence is low in the sector and we need to work towards regaining that confidence. I would like to think that the new forestry programme will help with that in a significant way. Unfortunately, I can do nothing about the base, which was there before I started. We can only move in one direction, as I believe we are doing, and that is improving and delivering licences like never before, or certainly not in recent years. We are at 92% of expected output, which is a good place to be. Coillte tend…

I hope they will continue.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Forestry is the largest tool in our armour to achieve climate action and sequestration. We know it is essential. Our new forest strategy is all about planting the right trees in the right places, under the right management and for the right purpose. This applies across the board, regardless of whether the planting is for timber, the local economy, amenity value, biodiversity or water quality. With that in mind, we have come up with an innovative forestry programme to encou…

I take on board what the Deputy has said. We anticipate that foresters, with whom farmers must engage in order to avail of any of our programmes, would have a role as part of that. I would like to think that foresters would impart that advice to farmers. Certainly, I appreciate the balance we need. Last week, Green Party Senators proposed a motion in the Seanad on the use of wood in construction. It emphasised the need to ramp this up if we are to try to decarbonise our construction sector. There are many wonderful…

I do not have the figures on that, but it is a good point. We are in the process of a land use review. Maybe part of that might identify some of these inaccessible corners. There are plenty of them. There is a good example from County Clare, where such an area is called the hare's corner. They have engaged with farmers. It can be about putting in a pond or planting trees in more inaccessible areas. This brings biodiversity onto the farm without taking much from productivity. On the question of fruit trees, orchards…

As a female farmer, I can say that there is not equality. That is the problem. There is not equality on the ground. Female farmers own 13% of the farms. There are cultural elements there and farms are not being left to girls, daughters and nieces, but it is difficult. There are amazing female farmers out there but it is difficult to be a female farmer. When one goes to the mart, it is 95% men. It can be a difficult place to go to. One can go to a knowledge transfer group. That can be challenging. I have spoken to w…

We are trying to bring that equality into the system. That is what we are working hard to do.

I thank Senators for their contributions. It is clear that there is support across the House for this Green Party motion. I thank the Seanad for the opportunity to welcome this Private Members' motion on the use of wood in construction. As the Minister of State with responsibility for land use, biodiversity and forestry, I recognise the important link between our forest resource and the wood it produces. Wood is a renewable and natural product and we must work hard towards making it the material of choice for far m…

Tomorrow, we will shop. In fact, such is the pull of black Friday for Irish consumers that AIB recently suggested that over the next few days, we will shop at the rate of €18,000 per minute. I am planning to speak here for three minutes, and I will let you do the calculations yourselves. What is this draw to shopping? One theory is that our new purchase lifts our mood because it gives us a brief sense of control over our environment. Yet, it is brief, is it not? This is not least because much of the time, many of u…