Options Considered
7.The main options considered were:-
Option 1 - Amend the Forestry Act (NI) 1953
Option 2 - Replace the Forestry Act (NI) 1953 with a new Forestry Act
8.The Forest Service did not have all the powers necessary for its increasingly diverse responsibilities, be they economic, social or environmental. Option 1 would have left the Forest Service with an unwieldy Act, with many amendments over different pieces of legislation. The Departmental Solicitor’s Office and the Office of the Legislative Counsel both agreed that a revision was not enough, and that a new Act would be required.