Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 7:

In page 3, lines 23 to 26, to delete all words from and including “and” in line 23 down to and including line 26.

The amendment will not interfere with the completion of the Minister's review of raised bog habitats. The 2014 review of raised bog natural heritage areas is under way and I would not presume to interfere with the completion of an existing review. Instead, the amendment seeks to delete the provision to allow for a new review of a natural heritage area which, in the widest sense, could include blanket bogs. I do not specify blanket bogs but simply try to confine the Minister's reviews to those of raised bog habitats. Such reviews are subject, as I previously outlined, to an appropriate 12-year review process, which covers all the issues we discussed such as a public consultation, an environmental review and an appropriate assessmentIt goes back to the fundamental issue that where an appropriate long-term process is in place, I accept that the legislation arises from the process, although certain factors, such as pollination, biodiversity and carbon sequestration, have arisen since that period of review. I do not believe, however, that the Minister should conduct new reviews in respect of the dedesignation of new natural heritage areas.

The Minister of State will speak to the fact that he also intends to designate natural heritage areas but the Minister already has that power and it is not added anew in the Bill. Rather, the Bill will give the Minister the power, through the review, to dedesignate areas that are now peatland, bogland or blanket bog, of which there is so much throughout the west, as the Minister of State acknowledged. The vast amount of blanket bog does the incredible work I outlined. We are only beginning to learn about its ecological significance, while carbon sequestration is an area under investigation. It is premature for the Minister to be allowed to consider the dedesignation of peatlands apart from those already covered in the previous review.

The effect of the amendment is to remove section 18A(1)(b). The rest of the section will stand but the scope of section 18A will be confined to bogs that have been considered under the 2014 review of raised bog natural heritage areas.