2718. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will request his Department to provide a copy of the forestry appeals procedures. [61918/26]

The Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) is a separate legal entity from the Agriculture Appeals Office and operates on a separate statutory basis. The FAC was established under the Agriculture Appeals Act, 2001 as amended, to provide an appeals service against decisions on forestry licence applications made to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Its establishment allows a right of review by an independent body of forestry licensing decisions by my Department. As such it formulates its procedures independently, as per the relevant forestry legislation, the Agriculture Appeals Act 2001, as amended, and the Forestry Appeals Committee Regulations 2020, as amended.

The FAC procedures are made under section 14B (2) and 14C (2) of the Agriculture Appeals Act 2021, as amended. I understand that the procedures are being written by the FAC, as per the legislation. They will be finalised by the FAC and published in due course in the coming months.

Information on how to make an appeal can be found on the FAC’s website here: https://www.agriappeals.gov.ie/forestryappealscommittee/