Paul Murphy spoke on 31 January 2023 about citizens' assemblies, forestry policy and biodiversity, urging the Government to act on assembly recommendations and to tear up the Gresham House deal. He criticised the monocultural Sitka spruce model as a graveyard of biodiversity and pressed for state-owned woodland to be managed as a long-term national asset.
Citizens' assemblies and government response
Paul Murphy asked whether the Government will listen to citizens' assemblies when they report, noting assemblies make recommendations based on the evidence they hear. He said the Government had listened in the past on issues such as marriage equality, the Eighth Amendment and the climate law, but warned that listening does not necessarily mean adopting every recommendation in full.
Biodiversity crisis and forestry model
He warned Ireland faces a dire biodiversity crisis - internationally a sixth mass extinction, with one in five species and one in three bee species threatened - and criticised the monocultural Sitka spruce model. He argued that organising forestry for profit rather than for combating climate change and biodiversity loss has turned parts of the estate into a "graveyard of biodiversity."
Gresham House deal and calls for action
Murphy challenged the Government to heed citizens' assembly recommendations about the Gresham House deal, demanding that Quilcher be instructed to tear up the agreement or that emergency legislation be passed to enable Quilcher to do so. He argued state-owned woodland should be recognised and managed as a strategic long-term national asset for the common good and said there would be a Dáil majority to change Quilcher's mandate if required.
Irish Strategic Forestry Fund and next citizens' assemblies
The Government responded that there is a misunderstanding about the Irish Strategic Forestry Fund, saying no state-owned land is involved and most land in the fund is already privately owned and under forest. The Government emphasised the need for forests for climate, biodiversity, leisure and timber - noting spruce and conifers have a role for timber to displace concrete and steel - and said future citizens' assemblies on drug use and the future of education are planned. The Government intends assemblies to run sequentially where possible, will draw on Justice Committee work, and said decriminalisation can be considered; local issues such as the North Inner City Drugs and Alcohol Task Force will be taken up with the minister.
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I want to ask, are you going to listen to these citizens' assemblies when they report? When we establish them, they make recommendations on the basis of the evidence that they hear. So for example, in relation to the citizens' assembly on biodiversity, are you going to listen to them about the Gresham House deal? Are you going to listen to them when they say that state-owned woodland should be recognised and managed as a strategic long-term national asset for the benefit of the common good? They make such a recommendation because they understand that we are in internationally a sixth mass extinction event, because in Ireland one in every fifth species is threatened with extinction, one in every third species of bee is threatened with extinction. We are in an absolute dire crisis. And unfortunately our forestry, the monocultural Sitka spruce model, instead of being a guardian of biodiversity, has been turned into a graveyard of biodiversity. That is a direct consequence of organising our forestry for profits rather than for combating climate change and for combating biodiversity loss. Will you accept that you need to instruct Quilcher to tear up the deal with Gresham House? If you say you cannot do it, then come in here and pass emergency legislation to enable Quilcher to do it. There will be a majority in the Dáil to do it. The deal must be torn up and Quilcher's mandate must be changed. I anticipate the Government will consider the question of the next citizens' assemblies in the very near future. Once that decision has been taken, we will promptly bring forward a proposal to the House for debate and resolution. Subject to the timely passage of the resolution, my expectation is that the next citizens' assemblies could commence as early as April or May and should then be in a position to report back to the House before the end of the year. The Government is committed to fulfil the programme for Government commitment to establish new citizens' assemblies on matters relating to drug use and the future of education. As I said, we are very keen to have it up and running before the summer recess. I can confirm that the work of the Justice Committee will inform the terms of reference, as will the earlier work carried out by former Justice Garrett Sheehan's group and the Justice Committee, previously under David Stanton's chairmanship. I will look at issues in the round and decriminalisation can be part of that. The two citizens' assemblies in 2022 were run in parallel, so that is possible. However, the clear advice from the chairpersons of both assemblies, as well as the independent evaluators, is that future assemblies should be run sequentially rather than concurrently. That is the best way to give each assembly the necessary space and time to undertake its deliberations without undue constraints. In response to the deputy's questions, we are, of course, going to listen to what the citizens' assemblies have to say. I think it is fair to say we did in relation to marriage equality on the Eighth Amendment and the climate law, but listening to what they say does not necessarily mean adopting every recommendation, lock, stock and barrel. In relation to the Irish Strategic Forestry Fund, I do think there is some misunderstanding or misinformation here. There is no state-owned land involved, no public land that is being privatised. It is already privately owned land and most of it is under forest already. We do need forests for lots of reasons. Yes, of course, we need them as a climate sink, we need them for biodiversity, we need them for leisure, but we do also need forests for timber, and that is where spruce and conifers are the most useful, because we want to move away from using concrete and steel in favour of timber, and that is why there is room for different types of forestry. Yes, just on the issue in relation to the North Inner City Drugs and Alcohol Task Force, I will take that up to Minister Nocturne. She is new in her role, but I will make sure she is aware of it and that progress is made on it. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
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