Coillte and the issue of forestry are rightly the topics of this week. I have received hundreds of emails from constituents on the issue. A protest about the issue is happening outside the gates of Leinster House now. The Minister and his Government have been caught out by the public in allowing a deal to go ahead that they should never have entertained. I am also sure everyone concerned about the Coillte deal will be equally as exercised when they read in today's Irish Examiner a piece by Paul Hosford about the EU's scathing criticism of the national forestry strategy that was designed by the Minister's party colleague, the Minister of State, Senator Hackett. The letter from the EU criticises the inappropriate afforestation on sensitive habitats, the planting on peatlands, the impact on bird species, such as the curlew, which will be extinct within ten years, and the planting and river catchments critical to pearl mussels. These forestry and biodiversity failures have occurred on the Minister's watch. How can he and the Green Party, which has never been as well represented in government, stand over this?

I have not yet had a chance to read the article in the Irish Examiner. I am, however, certain that if one party has clearly and explicitly said that we planted in the wrong places on peatland soils, it is the Green Party.

The Minister needs to read the letter from the EU.

The Green Party has made that point in government and in opposition. What we said when we were in opposition-----

The Green Party said a lot of things in opposition.

-----was that we would change the forestry programme so that it would promote a variety of different-----

The Government and the EU are completely at odds on this matter.

We cannot have a two-way conversation.

-----forestry approaches. The previous approach, which included monocultural clear-felling on upland peat soils, must come to an end. It is coming to an end. I am sure the EU would agree with that point and so do we.

The EU agrees but says that is not happening.

It is happening. We have introduced a new forestry programme that switches the approach. The land use review will copper-fasten that approach.