Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)

No-one can accuse me of not engaging with these people. We then set up the Peatlands Council and there has been constant communication in the past 12 months. This Government cannot be accused of ignoring the wishes of these people.

We have made significant progress since. I thank everybody concerned because I know how difficult this is for those cutting turf on bogs. The one bog, unfortunately for me, that was designated in Kerry was where my great-grandfather, grand-uncles and grandfather, and now cousins, cut. I must meet these people on a regular basis. It is not nice every Saturday when I have my clinic in Listowel, which is very busy, to see a large number of people on the square. Even the week before last, they came all the way from Galway.

It is not easy for any of us. This is a difficult issue and I am doing my best to have it resolved. I was given this challenge and I intend to see it through. However, it needs co-operation between the turf-cutters, the landowners, the contractors, Government and, more importantly, the Commission. I was delighted that last week Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan went to meet the Commission. That engagement should have happened years ago. The Deputy now has a clear understanding of the challenges that any Government would face.

At the end of January 2011, the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin, got a letter of formal notice from the Commission stating clearly that it was not happy with the way Ireland was transposing the directive into Irish law and that the Commissioner was starting proceedings to take Ireland to court. In June, we got a reasoned opinion. This is really far advanced. I do not wish to scare anybody, but I believe the Commission will move, if we do not move, on payment of up to €9 million a year to Europe when we can find alternatives.

I thank Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan for moving this motion and I commend the Government's amendment to the House, with the additional commitments to act on Mr. Judge Quirke's recommendations.

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