Is Thursday's business agreed to?

It is not agreed. There is still a massive delay in the granting of felling licences. I am calling for a full debate to see if we can do something to help 12,000 people remain in their jobs. This Government has completely failed us in this regard and the forestry department is not doing its duty and is not granting felling licences. I am calling for full debate to see what we can do to help these people. Is the Taoiseach aware of what is happening or not happening? This is a serious issue. The forestry industry is nearly finished. The Bill the Government pushed through in the fall of the year was no help whatever.

On forestry licences, we talk about housing and everything else but we do not have timber. The price of timber is going up daily and the reason is there is a shortage because there are not enough staff in the Department to deal with the issue. I plead with the Taoiseach for additional resources. We need to deal with this. The sawmills are crying out for raw materials which they cannot get hold of. The problem is a blockage caused by obstructions to planning and objections to licences. I would like to get this sorted out as a matter of urgency.

I have some reservations about what has happened here today. The Business Committee met and agreed the order for this week and I was not involved in that. For approximately 20 minutes, Deputies from parties which agreed to the Order of Business have been raising all sorts of issues. I am conscious there was meant to be 30 minutes for other Deputies to raise issues concerning legislation or other business. They have been denied the opportunity to do so because other Deputies got in ahead of them under the pretence of saying there should be a debate for this or that. That means there is a new Order of Business in play here, de facto, in which any Deputy can stand up and say he or she believes we should have a debate on this and, therefore, opposes the Order of Business. That is no way to proceed and it is not fair.

The Taoiseach is trying to wash this.

The Taoiseach has not mentioned planning licences once in his response. He only wants to create an argument. I appeal to him to do something about the felling licences not being granted. The Taoiseach would like the Government to brush it all under the carpet. That is all the Taoiseach wants.

I ask Deputy Healy-Rae to calm down, so we can hear the Taoiseach without interruption.

Many Deputies in my party and in other parties are being denied an opportunity to raise issues because of what is going on here.

It is because they will not take the Taoiseach on. They would not be quiet if they were listening to the people who elected them.

Is the proposal for dealing with Thursday's business agreed to? It is not agreed.