Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister did not really answer my question about job creation. Currently, Bord na Móna harvests 4 million tonnes per year. It was originally set up to look after the bogs but it is destroying them. Since 2011, we have subsidised peat-fired power generation to the tune of €500 million, which is a lot of money. Surely there must be some long-term planning to get away from extracting peat from the ground, as it is probably the most damaging act to the environment in the country. Has any thought been put into subsidising domestic users in the region who switch to wind turbines? Currently, they are more or less being told that we have always cut turf and we will cut it forever. At one point, people used to have slaves but they are not allowed to have them any more. It is not good to take the turf from the ground but we do not want to make jobs disappear all of a sudden and we do not want people to be without heating. We must engage in some long-term planning to deal with the challenges involved.

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