Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom i dtús báire comhghairdeas a dhéanamh le gach duine a bhfuil baint acu le Seachtain Bróid an Lucht Siúil. Having attended a celebration yesterday in Galway to mark the beginning of Traveller Pride Week I congratulate everybody involved in this great celebration of culture, story, song and history. It would be useful to have a debate in the House on multiculturalism in Ireland today. We have an increasingly diverse society of people from different backgrounds, including the Traveller community.

I was taken aback by Senator Aideen Hayden's comments on the property tax. Members may not be aware that a farmer in Ballinasloe is facing eviction from his farm because a sub-prime lender in the United States is putting on the pressure. It is appalling and I call on the relevant Minister to intervene to keep this farmer on his land.

Also in Galway, four turf cutters are in court today to answer charges which arose last year. A number of similar cases are pending, but no clarity whatsoever has been provided for turf cutters as to where they stand in terms of their capacity to cut turf this year. During a visit to the European Commission a number of months ago I was assured by the Deputy Director General for the Environment, Mr. Alan Seatter, that the solution to this issue would have to take cognisance of the proposals made by the Turf Cutters and Contractors Association. I have spoken to representatives of that association on a regular basis and they tell me that absolutely no meaningful consultation has taken place between them and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. The turf-cutting season is upon us and would have started much sooner if the weather had been better. We are heading into a major conflict on this issue. The Minister must come into the House for a full debate on the future of turf cutting in Ireland.