Pádraig Ó Céidigh (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Well they did not in our time. I also know that the Minister of State spent time up in the bog. He knows what it is like to cut turf, spread it, wait for it to dry, bring it out to the side of the road, and then get a tractor and bring it home. That was the staple diet for people like us, working class people, in places like Connemara. We did not have oil or anything like that. I strongly welcome this Bill. Fair play to the Minister of State and his civil servant colleagues who worked on it. It arises from an evidence based study. There has not been consultation in the past but there has been on this occasion. The lack of consultation in the past caused serious issues. I particularly welcome the key factors the Minister of State, his team and the study group considered, which included the economic, social and cultural impacts on communities, because these impacts are different for different communities. This is particularly so for poorer communities in the west that are totally dependent on the bog.

I want to put one particularly important fact on the record. People where I come from, and I am sure people from many other areas as well, who are dependent on the bog and turf cutting were the best environmentalists one could find because they believed in the land. The land was and still is so important to them. I suggest that we keep that in mind. Turf cutting is a way of life for these people and it is important that is not changed. It is still a way of life for them, even though they can now get oil and have electricity. People still want to go and cut their own turf up in the bog. This Bill recognises that and I support it for that reason.

There are one or two factors which I ask the Minister of State to consider. One is that, as I said earlier, people who cut turf have traditionally come from lower income areas. Whatever turf one cuts is taken into account in determining social welfare payments or the dole. That should be reconsidered. It is a broad issue which does not only come under the Minister of State's Department. I suggest he speak to the relevant Department and Minister in that regard because it is neither fair nor reasonable that this is taken into account.

I very much welcome section 4(5) which gives the Minister the flexibility to review the situation on an ongoing basis. That is really important. It is important that existing practices and uses be considered. For example, there are some uses, including the recreational use of bogland, in different areas close to Maigh Cuilinn and An Spidéal which need to be preserved and recognised. The status quoin that regard needs to be maintained. I may propose some amendments at a later stage.