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

I acknowledge that the Deputy has always been positive and supportive of what we are all trying to do to resolve this matter, which would be in all our interests, as the last thing we want to do is to pay fines of between €20,000 and €25,000 per day to the European Commission. I do not have to remind Members that formal notice was sent to the Department in January 2011 followed by a reasoned opinion in June 2011. Therefore, the Commission is interested in what is happening here. However, there have been positive developments. For the first time, the TCCA, the Department and the Commission are working together to try to find a solution.

I would like to acknowledge - I will do this again this evening - the efforts made by so many people to obtain a resolution to this sensitive and difficult subject. As a rural dweller who lives in the heart of a number of bogs as well as near one of the designated bogs, I am very much aware of how sensitive this issue is and how important it is for so many people to have it resolved in such a way that the environment is protected but people can continue to cut turf legally. That is important.

I have been trying my best to facilitate payments as much as possible, but we have developed a new system of payment. To date, just 63 applicants have been paid the amount that applied last year, but 200 people will be paid next week. I hope payments will go out in the next few weeks. We had to establish a system of verification to ensure the documentation was proper and so on, but that system is now in place and I hope payments will go out faster. As the Deputies know, the verification systems that have been established this year will last for the next 15 years. Once people have their documentation verified, that will be sufficient for the years ahead.

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