Forestry Act, 1946

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PART II.

Promotion of Interests of Forestry and Development of Afforestation, and Production and Supply of Timber.

General powers of the Minister.

9.—(1) Subject to the consent (either general or particular) of the Minister for Finance, the Minister may do all or any of the following things—

(a) purchase or take on lease or otherwise acquire any land suitable for forestry or required for purposes in connection with afforestation or with the management of any woods or forests or any right (so required) over any land;

(b) manage, plant and otherwise utilise any land vested in the Minister by virtue of the Forestry (Re-distribution of Public Services) Order, 1933 ( S. R. & O., No. 158 of 1933 ), or acquired under the Forestry Acts, 1919 and 1928, or under this Act, and erect such buildings or execute such other works thereon as he thinks necessary;

(c) sell or let any land vested in the Minister by virtue of the Forestry (Re-distribution of Public Services) Order, 1933 (S. R. & O., No. 158 of 1933), or acquired under the Forestry Acts, 1919 and 1928, or under this Act, or exchange any such land for any other land and (where requisite on any such exchange) pay or receive money for equality of exchange or grant rights on or over any such land;

(d) purchase or take on lease any buildings or works required in connection with his powers under this section and sell or let any buildings or works belonging to him;

(e) purchase or otherwise acquire standing timber, and sell or otherwise dispose of any timber belonging to him, or, subject to such terms as may be mutually agreed, to a private owner, and generally promote the supply, sale, utilisation, and conversion of timber;

(f) make advances by way of grant or by way of loan, or partly in one way and partly in the other, and upon such terms and subject to such conditions as he thinks fit, to persons (including local authorities) in respect of the afforestation (including the replanting) of land belonging to those persons;

(g) undertake the planting, development, utilisation, management or supervision, upon such terms and subject to such conditions as may be agreed upon, or give assistance or advice in relation to, the planting or management of any woods or forests belonging to any persons, including woods and forests belonging to any Minister of State or belonging to a local authority;

(h) establish and carry on or aid in the establishment and carrying on of woodland industries;

(i) undertake the collection, preparation, publication and distribution of statistics relating to forestry and promote and develop instruction and training in forestry by establishing or aiding schools or other educational establishments or in such other manner as he thinks fit;

(j) make or aid in making such inquiries, experiments and research, and collect or aid in collecting such information, as he thinks important for the purpose of promoting forestry and the teaching of forestry, and publish or otherwise take steps to make known the results of such inquiries, experiments or research and to disseminate such information;

(k) disseminate, or aid in the dissemination of, information likely, in his opinion, to arouse, stimulate, or increase, public interest in forestry or woodland industries;

(l) make or aid in making such inquiries as he thinks necessary for the purpose of securing an adequate supply of timber in the State or promoting the sale, utilisation or conversion of timber or fostering the establishment or extension of woodland industries.

(2) Nothing in subsection (1) of this section shall be construed as authorising the Minister to sell, or let, or exchange for other land, any foreshore, within the meaning of the Foreshore Act, 1933 (No. 12 of 1933), or any State Minerals, within the meaning of the Minerals Development Act, 1940 (No. 31 of 1940).

(3) The State Lands Act, 1924 (No. 45 of 1924), shall, in so far as it applies to any such land as is mentioned in paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of this section, cease to apply.

(4) The Minister may accept any gift made to him for all or any of the purposes of this Act, and, subject to the terms thereof, may apply it for those purposes in accordance with regulations which he is hereby authorised to make.

(5) Any person under a disability referred to in section 7 of the Lands Clauses Consolidation Act, 1845 , may enter into agreements with the Minister for the purposes of this section in like manner in all respects as he is entitled to enter into agreements for the purpose of the said section 7.

(6) The Minister shall, as soon as may be after the expiration of every financial year (other than the financial year 1945-46) cause to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas a report of his proceedings under this Act during that year.