Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 22:

In page 6, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:“Report on exercise of turbary rights

5.The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht shall, within twelve months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas containing guidelines and recommended thresholds in relation to the exercise of turbary rights including a definition, or definitions, of “household use”.”.

We have discussed turbary rights. I have discussed them at length and others have discussed them and their experiences in relation to them as well. This amendment aims to give practical effect to the discussion we have had, and this is a space where we can engage appropriately with this issue. We know that turbary rights can be exercised on natural heritage areas where there has been cutting. Usually, where there are turbary rights there has been cutting because it is a right that has been passed down. In those contexts, turbary rights are provided for. To my mind, it would be better if we preserved the natural heritage status of areas, where possible, while allowing appropriate and respectful exercise of turbary rights within them. In that regard, however, we need to look at what is appropriate in terms of turbary rights. The phrasing at the moment relates to household use, and given the extensive practice in respect of commercial cutting, we need to be clearer and have a definition of what we mean by household use. I would be genuinely interested in the Minister of State's thoughts on this. It would be of service if we were able to have clarity in this area, so people know what counts as household use.

I am not going to reiterate my points about intergenerational justice in respect of turbary rights, and the Minister of State knows them. A review such as this may be an opportunity to address those issues as well as to ensure that we have some form of predictability regarding our environmental targets. For example, if we have a definition of household use in respect of turbary rights and we know how many are exercising those rights, we can have at least some level of predictability as to the consequences of cutting in terms of emissions and how that fits in with our national climate strategy, for example.