Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

The heckler is at it again.

At yesterday's meeting of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, turf cutters from Westmeath, Roscommon, Galway, Mayo and elsewhere explained why they have such an axe to grind with the National Parks and Wildlife Service. We had a meeting with representatives of that service some time ago and it seems clear that people who want to cut turf for their own use, and who are not exceeding the 10% threshold, are not getting a fair deal. Will the Leader invite the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to the House for a debate on this matter? What is happening is absolutely unjust and the lack of communication is entirely unsatisfactory. One particular councillor who was part of the delegation gave an example of an advertisement being placed in the Westmeath Examiner, which is not a newspaper that circulates to any great extent in the south of that county, which is where the turf cutters he represents are from. I ask the Leader to arrange that debate at the earliest opportunity.