Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)

I raise the situation in Ardgraigue, Barroughter and Clonmoylan bogs in south-east Galway. The local turf cutting contractor was served with a High Court injunction to cease cutting turf earlier this year. As a result, local people have been left without a supply of fuel this winter. There are over 40 families affected. It is important to say that these are bogs where local people have cut turf for many years. This is causing significant distress to the people affected. Many are elderly, have dwindling supplies or do not have an alternative supply of turf. They now face into the cold winter months without fuel.

The bogs have been designated as special areas of conservation, SACs. People have been offered a once-off payment from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, to walk away from the bog and to allow rewetting. Many have declined it - as is their right - because many want to continue to heat their homes with turf. It is the only realistic option for them. Other forms of heating are far too expensive to install.

This injunction was taken out and it seems that these families are being coerced and forced into this scheme. They do not want to take part in it because they will be left worse off if they do and will not be able to cut turf again. I understand that under the legislation the families could be allowed to harvest turf if the Minister, Deputy Browne, signs an activity requiring consent, ARC, order. Their main ask is that the Minister signs this order to allow them to return to their bogs. I ask the Minister of State to outline if this will be facilitated.

I also raise the fact that the NPWS is beginning works to wet the bogs of those who have signed up to the scheme. This includes the installation of dam blocks to block drains with the aim of raising the water table in the bog. There are significant concerns surrounding the risk of flooding on neighbouring land, the risk posed by holes left behind and who would be held libel in the case of any injuries caused by these holes. There has been a complete lack of consultation. The NPWS is not responsive at all and does not seem to be accountable to anybody. I also want to raise concerns with the process around the SACs designations. These three bogs were designated to be sites of community importance, SCIs, by 2002. Under the habitats directive, if SCIs are intended to be made special areas of conservation this must be done within six years of them being designated SCIs.

In this case, the three bogs were not officially designated as SACs until the years between 2021 and 2023. This is in direct conflict with the timelines mandated under the habitats directive but we have had no real explanation yet for this. I ask the Minister of State to provide that this evening. There are questions around the process but the big question the local people want answered is whether the Minister will sign an ARC order to allow turf to be cut in these bogs again.

See this speech in context