John Kelly (Labour)

Thousands of turf cutters will descend on Leinster House tomorrow to protest what is happening with the age old tradition of turf cutting on raised bogs in rural Ireland. Many of them will be from my constituency. I compliment the efforts made by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, who has bent over backwards to try to find a resolution to this problem. He has worked hard on it along with Mr. Conor Skehan of the Peatlands Council. However, at this 11th hour I call on the Minister to increase any proposed compensation package for turf cutters. What moves are being made to find alternative bogs for relocation purposes, similar to what has been achieved in Mountbellew, County Galway? Will the Minister adequately supply turf cutters with turf on the same basis as the increase I have called for in compensation? I call on the Minister to adequately supply turf cutters with turf on the same basis as an increase in compensation, which I call for as well.

Another important thing to be dealt with is a speedy delivery of the compensation package that many turf cutters have already signed up to but not received because of an issue over the title of property. Many of these turf cutters are finding it difficult to prove title despite the fact that they have cut turf for ten, 15 or 20 years on these bogs. I have suggested to the Minister previously and I say it again now that this should be done on the basis of a statutory declaration. If a person declares that he has cut turf on a bog for ten or 15 years, it should be accepted by the Minister and the compensation package should be paid to him.

Finally, the contractors who have invested heavily have been forgotten in all of this.