Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The illegal harvesting of peat is a planning matter and a matter for planning enforcement in the local authorities. I would reject their assertions that they do not have the resources to carry that out. What has occurred there, based on the EPA report, is nothing short of disgraceful and outrageous. It is a priority for the local authorities. We cannot micromanage it. They need to deal with this. I have written to the Minister, Deputy Browne, about it formally as the Minister who has responsibility for local government, but this is something we should all be concerned about. I would reject the local authorities' assertion. It is about prioritising what we need to do. In Kildare, in particular, we saw pictures where one side of the road was a haven for biodiversity and the natural environment and literally the other side of the road had commercial illegal harvesting of peat. That is something the EPA should not have had to highlight - I am glad it did - to any local authority. The local authority needs to address it. We provide funding and there is a breakdown of the type of funding for waste enforcement measures and grant schemes that help the local authorities. We have measures in respect of plastics and medical waste and allocations in respect of noise but the main thrust of much of this is through the local authorities. The EPA report the Deputy referred to showed 38 large-scale operations over seven counties where illegal peat extraction was taking place. It really pains me to see the excellent work that is being done on the restoration of our bogs by Bord na Móna and others, including local authorities, yet this activity, which is illegal, has been allowed to continue. The local authorities in question - Offaly, Kildare, Tipperary, Westmeath, Roscommon, Longford and Sligo - need to get their acts together and do it.