Mr. Pat McCormack:

I will deal with Deputy Carthy's comments. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, has not engaged significantly with local landowners and the people to whom Deputy Nolan referred.

Deputy Carthy asked about consultation to date. There has been a lot of discussion. We will have a meeting with Bord na Móna tomorrow for further discussions. There have been local meetings with affected people and a list of questions have been put to its representatives. It is to be hoped we will make significant progress on those answers at the meeting tomorrow.

To respond to a point made by Deputy Fitzmaurice, we have received nothing in writing at this point in time. Until the ink dries, nothing has been secured, such as the turf cutting rights for locals Deputy Nolan mentioned. It is absolutely critical that such arrangements are in writing. We need to get commitments on a good code of practice in writing.

Equally, I agree with Deputy Nolan's comment that there is major frustration in some farm families, and that farmers want to put land into forestry but are not in a position to do so at this point in time. There are a significant number of other ways of meeting our climate obligations and targets, including the management of grassland and plantations of forestry. There will be a combined effort as we move forward, but it is not only farmers that will be affected. Rural dwellers can be significantly affected, a point on which Deputy Nolan touched.

Houses may be flooded, something we have seen time and again in the news. There has been flood after flood in various towns and cities. There is potential that will happen in rural parts of the affected areas. I do not know whether Mr. O'Brien wants to address the frustration at a local level at the engagement and the lack of commitment within that engagement.