§ Mr. SHEEHAN (Cork County, Mid.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he has received a copy of the resolution of the Cork County Council urging upon the Government the necessity of immediately providing the annual grant of £44,525 estimated to be required for the first ten years to establish a State Department of Forestry; and will he state whether it is the intention of the Government to establish such a department on the lines recommended by the Departmental Committee on Forestry.
Mr. T. W. RUSSELMy right hon. friend has asked me to reply to this Question, and I can only repeat the Answer which I gave recently to a similar Question. The Report of the Departmental Committee is under consideration, but there has not yet been time to arrive at a decision upon the recommendations of the Committee. The importance of dealing with the matter is fully recognised, and the Government will come to a decision upon it as soon as may be possible, having regard to the financial and other considerations involved.