Section 6 will allow the Department to carry on inquiries and collect and disseminate the results, including the preparation and publication of statistics, for the purposes of any of its functions under the Act, including the promotion of forestry. There is also a new requirement for the Department to publish and maintain a register detailing location, size and type of woodlands in Northern Ireland. The Department may exploit any intellectual property arising from these activities, including the provision of instruction and the undertaking of research under section 5 of the Agriculture Act (Northern Ireland) 1949 and may enter into arrangements with bodies outside Northern Ireland which carry out similar activities.
An offence is created for failure to comply with a request to provide or permit the collection of any information.