Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yes, in terms of the speculation around it and then from the debates in the media.

There is also the issue of the number of towns to which it will be extended. I understand it will involve towns with over 15,000 inhabitants. There is a question, particularly in the midlands, as to how this will affect peat products, as peat briquettes are counted as smokeless fuel. What are the implications for peat products? Are there plans to ban peat in the future?

Will the Minister give a list as to the number of towns that will come under the ban? I know Portlaoise and Tullamore are two of them. Do we have the capacity to meet the new demands for smokeless fuels?

There is an opportunity in this regard for job creation, particularly if peat could be used as one of the ingredients for smokeless fuels. Bord na Móna still has substantial tracks of bog in the midlands where moss peat has been stripped away and it is down to the fuel. There are opportunities at sites such as Cul Na Móna, County Laois. I implore the Minister, as well as his colleague who has just left the Chamber, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Alex White, to examine this site. Thousands of acres of peat are located on the crossroads of Ireland, on the junction of the M7 and M8 motorways with a railway line passing through it.

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