Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

If the Deputy could bring that matter to my attention privately I will certainly raise the issue of the specific bogs he is talking about, which we did not proceed to purchase. I would be interested to hear about those and I will follow that up.

I have asked my officials to treat relocation as a priority. I have to acknowledge, however, that sometimes it is very slow work. I wish to acknowledge the work of the former Deputy, Paul Connaughton, in this respect. I have been down to visit that bog and much work has been done there. Mr. Connaughton has worked closely with my Department and the success of the project can be attributed to the great work he has put into it. I have been down there to see it for myself at first hand.

We must refocus and see our bogs as a great asset. The EU considers them to be worthy of designation and we must see them as an asset in terms of biodiversity and tourism. We should consider developing more cycle-ways and walking paths. Some 9 million Germans take cycling holidays annually, so we should regard our bogs as a great asset in that context. We should develop them as a recreational amenity that will bring benefits to bogland areas.

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