Mr. Brian Lucas:

Following up on what Dr. Florence Renou-Wilson said, the restoration plans have been developed and have been drafted for the 53 raised bog SACs. They have to be developed further in partnership with stakeholders, including landowners and local communities. The idea behind this plan is to ensure the impact of the restoration work to surrounding agricultural land - blocking the drains on the bog with peat dams and sometimes with plastic dams - is kept to a minimum. By raising the water level, it is not intended to flood the land but rather to ensure it remains wet enough to encourage the growth of sphagnum moss within a protected site. In some cases, it might be decided to block some drains while leaving others open.

To allay concerns about the potential impacts of restoration on areas of land adjacent to the designated bogs, we are in the process of developing drainage management plans for the raised bog SACs network as part of the restoration programme. The live sites will be dealt with separately. We have been engaging with landowners and turf cutters on the development of those drainage management plans. It is a legitimate concern and one we have to address.