Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to take that question from the Deputy. The report from the horticultural peat working group has been sent to me and I have sent it on to the relevant Ministers. A number of recommendations will go to Government for consideration. I will not get into the detail of these here today but I welcome the work that has been put into this and it does offer some possible solutions. As I said previously, there is no easy answer to this. There is a dual consent process in place in Ireland and the measures that are outlined in the report are not in my control but are in the control of other Departments and it is up to the Government, collectively, to seek a solution that will work for the industry in Ireland and for the horticultural sector, which is very important and which we all value and support. Certainly, we have to give consideration to the phasing out of horticultural peat in retail and other sectors. I will not go into the detail of the report but there are important findings in there.

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