Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State has already recognised the importance of carbon sequestration as a general principle for reviews. This amendment deals, however, with the process involved in the making of particular decisions. It seeks to apply a stronger test to proposals arising from the review process, including an assessment of the "scale of biodiversity present" and the "quantity of carbon sequestered". The amendment is line with the spirit of other biodiversity amendments and the point I pressed on carbon sequestration in general. That point was accepted by the Minister of State. This is a practical amendment that seeks a specific assessment of any proposal for a particular bog to be de-designated.