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

The Deputy has a very polite way of putting it. I would very much like to answer that question. I have been maligned an awful lot in that things have been attributed to me that I never said. What has been said about me is that I am interested in planting deep peatland. I never said any such thing. It is a great thing when I look at every one of the members because they know what I am talking about when I speak about this. What I am interested in is planting peat-type soils. Members know the difference. A lot of people, once they hear the word "peat", have this lovely romantic vision of a big, deep blanket of bog where they can come along, dig it out, harvest that, dry it and have it for turf. They think that is what peat is. We have a thing in Ireland, whether a lot of the scientists realise it or not, that I would like to drive home to them. There are peat-type soils. That is a piece of ground one could not burn if one tried forever because one could never dry it out. It is a mix of peat and mineral. I am spending €2.7 million because I am going to prove the point. I would like the Chairman to know this. That scheme is called PeatFor. We are engaging on this now. It is not a bad thing to plant peat-type soils.