Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Some of Deputy McLellan’s questions were directed to my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy McGinley. Heritage tourism is very important and I accept that funding for heritage decreased significantly from €97 million in 2008 to €22 million in 2012. That is a major reduction in funding.

That is putting funding for our built heritage and other aspects of our heritage under a great deal of pressure but we have to cope with what we have. In the heritage sector, we also have compensation for bogs. Last year, I set aside €5 million and the allocation will be similar next year. That places a further burden on the available money. We are doing our best and coping with the budget we have. We are doing innovative work and sometimes when one has less money, one must think more. My Department is doing a good job in managing national parks and doing creative work in introducing good initiatives.

Ireland has two world heritage sites at Brú na Bóinne and Skellig Michael. A number of sites are on the tentative list, which it is hoped will in time become UNESCO world heritage sites. Heritage sites are major attractions in the State and it is important we maintain and protect them properly and promote them as much as possible.

As regards admission fees, we will do our best to avoid charging to visit the National Museum and the National Library and to secure other sources of funding. The voluntary contribution, which is used in many museums around the world, is one I favour very much. I do not suggest there should be an over-reliance on philanthropy. We must try to balance what we generate through philanthropy with State funding and, hopefully, in a few years, when the recovery comes, we can begin to increase State funding again. At the same time, I do not wish to take away the emphasis from philanthropy.

Last year we set aside €5 million and compensated a large number of turf cutters. The Department received 2,472 applications for compensation and 723 for relocation, of which 2,444 have been acknowledged, 1,729 have been paid, including second payments to applications from the previous year, and 145 turf deliveries have been made with a further 71 approved. To date, almost €3 million has been spent on compensation. This was a significant logistical issue. Such a process had not been undertaken previously and it was difficult because the applications had to be verified and so on. There are problems with title when it comes to bogs. I compliment the departmental officials who took on this challenge on doing an excellent job. There has been a huge uptake of the scheme.

We were at the door of the European court and if we had not put this process in place and turf cutters had not accepted the compensation, stayed off the bogs and obeyed the law, we would have faced a massive fine of €25,000 a day. That is not an exaggeration. People were concerned about it from the Taoiseach down and the fines would have been imposed. This was not a threat. The fines were going to happen because formal notice had issued and reasoned opinion had been provided. The next step was court and this country would have been fined heavily because we were supposed to do this ten years ago and it was not done. We procrastinated and we did not do what we promised having transposed the directive into domestic law. We were not getting sympathy on this. I acknowledge the work of Mr. Conor Skehan who is still a member of the Peatlands Council. He stepped down as chairman having made a commitment that he would give it one year. He has been replaced by Mr. Seamus Boland, who was very much involved in the successful relocation in Clara, County Offaly. Mr. Skekan's contribution will be valuable and important.