Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Tá mé thar a bheith sásta go bhfuil an díospóireacht seo ar siúl againn. Tá an ábhar seo ardaithe agam go rí-mhinic agam sa Teach seo.

I appreciate that this is a thorny issue and that we have held a number of conversations on it. I am grateful to the Minister for taking this debate. It is important to put the matter in context. The Minister inherited it and the directive has been in place for a long time, during which previous Governments could have agreed a roadmap to a solution that would have accommodated all stakeholders, but that did not happen. When the Minister took office, there was a sense of emergency because the European Union was breathing down his neck about the fact that the directive was not being implemented, as required. He has been trying to deal with it for some time.

Sinn Féin is committed to the preservation of our national wildlife and resources, including bogs. It is fair to say the same about most of the people who cut turf. In the media, in particular, there tends to be a perception that anyone who cuts turf is anti-environment. I argue the opposite. Most of those who cut turf have great respect for the environment. The practice of cutting turf has led to our bogs having an elevated status. People have cared for wildlife.

The previous Government failed miserably to resolve the issue of SAC status for bogs. I would even claim that it misled people. For many years, a Minister from my constituency told us about a derogation from the directive. On investigation, however, it was found that there was never a derogation. People were misled. Those on the ground believed they were exempt.

Responsibility for resolving this lies with the current Government, which has now spent two and a half years now examining the issue. Problems at a small number of the 53 bogs have proven difficult to resolve. However, they need to be resolved as a matter of urgency. Sinn Féin believes that the basis for agreement lies in the motion unanimously passed by the Dáil in February 2012, which obliged the Government to put in place an overall plan for the 53 SACs and to resolve the outstanding issues in full consultation with the Turf Cutters and Contractors Association. Sinn Féin believes that there is an onus on Government to engage immediately with the TCCA to implement such a plan.

I note that the Minister in his opening remarks alluded to the TCCA and people who are not co-operating with the process. I do not propose to go into the issues on either side. However, I would liken this to Government trying to do a deal with the consultants without having them at the table. Deputy Brian Stanley and I travelled to Brussels last year to meet with the Deputy Director General of the Commission dealing with these issues, Mr. Alan Seatter, to find out if there was room for manoeuvre or for a solution. He was categoric in his response that any solution should be based on the recommendations put forward in the TCCA plan. In my view, if, when putting together a plan, one does not have the required people at the table, one is going nowhere. I welcome the Minister's statement that a plan is forthcoming. The nettle will at some stage have to be grasped and the TCCA will have to be brought back to the table. The Government needs to engage with it immediately.

There is huge frustration on the ground in regard to the lack of progress on this issue. I appreciate the Minister's officials are likewise frustrated. There was a sense that misinformation was being provided, that the proposal was to divide and conquer and that departmental officials were trying to do side deals with people on particular bogs and may actually have succeeded in some cases. While some people have accepted compensation, no overall agreement is yet in place.

Sinn Féin believes that it is imperative if the forthcoming plan is to be successful that it should provide for the relocation option in most cases and that this should be done on a like-by-like basis; that compensatory habitats, whereby raised bogs that are unsuitable for turf cutting are designated as SACs, are deemed a viable option; and that the Department officials engage with the TCCA to resolve issues on the outstanding bogs. The Minister will be aware that Sinn Féin has been in regular contact with the TCCA and has met with departmental and EU officials. I welcome the fact that there has not been as much of a stand-off this year as there was last year. Nobody wants to see a stand-off on the bogs, or for gardaí to be put in an awkward position or departmental officials or those cutting turf to be put in awkward positions. As stated by the Minister, the way forward is dialogue. However, without one of the key stakeholders at the table, dialogue will not happen. Having met with the EU Commissioner, Sinn Féin believes there is sufficient flexibility within the EU directive to resolve the situation. We call on the Government to resolve these issues as a matter or urgency and to engage without delay with the TCCA and other turf cutters.

The case made by my colleague in regard to the constitutionality of this is pertinent. Senator Paul Coghlan stated earlier that these issues should be fought out in the courts.