Ms Adele Shelton:

On the industrial scale harvesting around the Shannon area, my involvement is with the enhanced decommissioning, restoration and rehabilitation scheme that is being implemented. Bord na Móna operates the scheme that encompasses approximately 33,000 ha from which it previously harvested turf for electricity generation.

As I said, it is being operated by Bord na Móna. This Department, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, is the regulator for that scheme, which is very wide in its scope. Of course, some of the bogs that will be rehabilitated as part of that enhanced peatland rehabilitation scheme, EPRS, are adjacent or close to the Shannon.

I am aware that Bord na Móna has issued a statement regarding this restoration and rehabilitation work on its land which will address concerns regarding potential risks to surrounding lands and landowners and the Department is aware that Bord na Móna is considering such risks to surrounding lands along with any other relevant risks when it is designing the individual bog rehabilitation plans. However, the assessment of such potential risks to an individual bog would be an operational matter for Bord na Móna because it feeds in to the design process for these rehabilitation bog packages. As I said, I am fully aware that the risk to surrounding landowners is something that is foremost in Bord na Móna's mind when it is developing these bog rehabilitation and restoration plans, although in saying that I am not here to speak to the operational workings of Bord na Móna.