Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)

To set the record straight on the National Parks & Wildlife Service looking for bogs, obviously they have not read the plan put together by the Turf Cutters and Contractors Association because we have already identified the vast majority of bogs people could move to if Europe and the State were reasonable. Mountbellew was mentioned as an example of where a bog was found. The Turf Cutters and Contractors Association found that bog. The National Parks & Wildlife Service, through its different names over the years, had 14 years to find bogs and not one could they find. One would imagine that if they were serious about their job and just to shut me up they would have said that there is a bog half a mile away from where we are cutting, but they did not even know that until we pointed it out to them. Remarkably, they did not even know they owned it and therefore to go to those people to identify bogs would not be the best course of action.

Information has come out in recent days which we had already, but apparently it has come out as new information and it is important that the Minister clarifies it. It was put out by Deputy Denis Naughten in a press release and states that those who wish to invoke the right to seek permission to cut turf should send the request in writing to Minister Jimmy Deenihan.

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