John Whelan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I do. I would like him to arrange for the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, to come to the House. With the Peatlands Council and responsible turf cutters, the Minister has done everything in his power to reach an amicable solution to this problem. It is important to mention that some €4 million has already been paid to over 2,600 turf cutters who have embraced and accepted the scheme in a responsible manner without forgoing their land rights and access to their lands. Under the compensation package, they receive €1,500 per annum for 15 years. Ordinary families who go out to cut turf were not responsible for the blitzkrieg on the bogs of the west that we saw at the weekend.