Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I know someone down in that part of the country. I am involved with someone down in that part of the country who will be doing some work in this area by writing a book on it. This is a matter about which I feel strongly.

I know from experience that once an area is designated, the appeal mechanism available is not worth the paper it is written on. Once designated, I have never seen an area de-designated as a result of an appeal. There is no circumscribing the powers in force. People can argue all they like, but I imagine there are few successful cases of landowners getting their land designated. I would be delighted if anyone could give me examples, but it would be news to me.

Several solutions have been proposed and advocated before the committee. It is better to go back to the base payment proposal, get that in and work from there.

I wish the farmers' group well and I support those involved 100%. I do not like to see impediments in cases where people in limited areas who may be elderly wish to dispose of a site perhaps to look after a dependant, whether child or adult. These people are precluded by the State from doing so.

I support the idea of the State being able to interfere. Compulsory purchase orders, CPOs, are important for road infrastructure, house-building and so on. I am not resiling from that viewpoint, but the State should always compensate appropriately at market value. The State can interfere on that basis. If the State used the same principles in this case as it does for CPO procedures, then the farmers' group would not be up and down to Dublin from Cork or wherever they are based. I applaud the group for keeping the fight going and I will support it, irrespective of the fact that it is based a long way from me and the matter does not affect my constituents. If one is hurt, we are all hurt. That is the way we should look upon a situation like this.