I want to raise the backlog of afforestation and felling licences. There is a current backlog of 5,000. Will the Taoiseach ensure that the Government takes action? I met a number of representatives from the Social Economic Environmental Forestry Association and it is asking for the full implementation of the McKinnon report within a certain timeframe and to ensure that every application made contains a timeframe for the processing of these licences. There is a deep crisis and we need to ensure that urgent action is taken. We have 10,000 jobs on the brink, sawmills are losing serious revenue and a lot of jobs are at risk. We also have foresters and hauliers affected within the sector, as are people who are trying to build homes. I ask the Taoiseach to consider taking those two actions I have asked about.

We are doing everything we can to try to deal with the backlog and to get licences issued and as the Deputy knows the House passed legislation to that effect. Progress is being made but we need to make faster and more accelerated progress and implement all the reforms that have been indicated with the agreement of the Minister. We are also looking at other measures to try to ensure a faster planting situation, particularly of native woodlands in line with our climate change agenda, and to provide supports to the farming community to facilitate initiatives, repairing schemes and so on that would help to avoid pollution of our waterways and grow more trees.