Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Roche. Like Senator Terry, I thank him for staying in the House for this debate. I agree with the Senator that the proposal in these regulations that one should have to seek planning permission if one wishes to change the use of a commercial property from a shop to an off-licence is to be welcomed. Senators have raised this matter with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in the context of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2000. The Minister, Deputy McDowell, is anxious for Members to discuss the matter further. Like his colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, he is interested in the views of community representatives and members of local authorities about off-licences.

When I read some briefing material about these regulations yesterday, I formed the opinion that establishments selling wine should be required to seek planning permission. Off-licences often sell many bottles of wine for a knock-down price. The Minister, Deputy Roche, quite rightly pointed out that the development of the off-licence sector is a matter of serious concern. It would not bother me if shops selling wine were to be included under these regulations.

I am concerned about the issue of supervision in off-licences. Adults can take crates of alcoholic drinks from off-licences, but that is not possible in pubs. Under-age drinking is facilitated when drinks taken from off-licences in such circumstances end up in the hands of young people. I question the level of supervision in off-licences. I am also worried about the late opening of off-licences, a matter that is not addressed in the regulations. Senators have spoken to the Minister, Deputy McDowell, about that matter.

As someone who comes from a village called Lehenagh, which translates as "half a bog", I am an expert on the development of bogs and the cutting of turf. I assure the House that I live in the half of Lehenagh that is not a bog, thankfully. If one lived in a bog nowadays, one would be on very unsure ground. When I was involved with the bishops' conference on the development of the west 20 years ago, I was asked by an astute farmer if I agreed that the day would come when one would have to get planning permission to cut turf. That was an emotive topic for Deputy Gilmore, who comes from the same parish as me, during the debate on the regulations in the Dáil yesterday.

If one cuts 24.71 acres of bog each year, one will have a great deal of turf. I do not know what one will do with it all. I accept the Minister's promise that family turf-cutting is safe. The farmer to whom I spoke 20 years ago was probably right to suggest that planning permission will be needed for a certain level of turf-cutting. I presume that we are talking about industrial levels of peat extraction, to be used to produce energy in power stations, for example. I am sure that, like me, the Acting Chairman is acquainted with farmers who are involved in family turf-cutting operations, although there is not much bog in Wexford. Such operations usually involve smaller portions of bog.

I thank the Minister, Deputy Roche, for helping farmers who had to stop cutting turf because their lands had been declared as special areas of conservation. I have been pursuing the issue of the heritage area buy-out scheme for some time. As I said to the Minister previously, people who stopped cutting turf in 2004 received up to €3,500 an acre and €3,000 for subsequent acres. It was very unfair that such people were given a much better deal than people who stopped cutting turf in 1999. The latter group of people, who co-operated quickly with the Department, received a lesser deal at first. The Minister eliminated that inequality by applying the consumer price index level to those who stopped cutting when their lands were declared as SACs or heritage areas.

I first heard about the Aarhus directive some years ago when controversy arose in County Galway about incinerators and private and public landfill sites. Everybody was quoting the directive, which relates to environmental impact assessments, at that time. The controversy has come to an end, thankfully, because we know where the private and public landfill sites will be located. Incineration continues to be an issue, however. We learned something about the Aarhus directive when people quoted it quite freely at meetings. We will probably hear more about the directive in the context of the campaign to develop an airstrip at Clifden in the heart of west Galway. I hope the directive will not prevent the acceptance of the proposal to build an extended runway. The development of an airstrip would assist the development of the Clifden area, especially as the railway service in the area was closed some years ago. The roads in west Galway are getting better, but a small airstrip in the area would be of great benefit to the local people.

I thank the Minister for introducing these regulations. I hope he will give the House some more information about the issues I have raised.