Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have a couple of questions on Bord na Móna and the loss of jobs. What consideration is being given to these 500 people who have lost or are about to lose their jobs? All Bord na Móna turf cutting is to cease by 2025 or 2026. What provision is being made for jobs for these people, since there is still peat to be had and a need for it for people who use it to heat houses? The other concern that I have is about blocking drains, raising water levels and going back in history. In a place called Gneeveguilla, the bog moved, covered houses and did away with a whole community. One child who had gone three miles to a neighbour's house survived. That was a terrible tragedy. How sure are we that something like this will not happen in the future? Are we infringing on neighbouring landowners' farms? If the level of water in one place is raised, it will surely be raised upstream if the water cannot get down to a certain level. Will we cause problems for neighbouring landowners?

My other question relates to the hen harrier and designation of lands. Where I come from, farmers have no problem with designations of hen harriers or any others if they are properly compensated for neutralising and making their lands worthless. It is fine for anyone to say we should promote the hen harrier or other ecosystems, but they do not give consideration to people's fortunes, how they will keep going and provide for their wives or families, send them to college like everyone else, and put food on the table. These ideas are all very grand. We are listening to people saying we cannot eat meat, must ride bicycles and cannot have a pint. Now we cannot heat our homes and must remain cold. The only facility many people have for heating is to cut turf to keep themselves warm for the winter. Generations have lived this way. It is fine for people to make suggestions that it cannot be done any more but alternative, economical suggestions must be provided to the people trying to live in rural Ireland who are affected by these sometimes ridiculous suggestions.