Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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I wish to raise the matter of the gorse fires which swept across County Donegal and other counties in the midlands and the west in the period over the May bank holiday weekend from the end of April to 6 May.

I am glad that the Minister of State is present because he visited County Donegal, for which I wish to thank him, when he saw first hand the damage which had been caused. It was very extensive. The Donegal county manager, at a council meeting on Monday, outlined in detail the costs associated with the damage from the county council's point of view. He had determined that an additional cost of €400,000 would be applied to the county council for the work it had carried out in supervising and trying to put out fires and assist the local community. About 3% of the land mass of the county, or 7,700 ha, was damaged by the fires. In addition, about 550 ha of Coillte owned land was also damaged, together with three private forests in Dungloe, Portnoo and Glenties. The county council received 425 emergency calls in the six days from 30 April to 5 May and there were ten major incidents, inlcuding in Dungloe, Ballyshannon, Doochary, Ardara, Malin Head, Muckish Mountain, Buncrana, Milford and Stranolar.

I take the opportunity to thank Donegal County Council, the fire service and Army personnel, of whom 70 were deployed to assist the county council, together with two helicopter units, and all of the community representatives who worked hard to put out the fires. Small farmers with slurry tankers came to houses where fires were raging. I spent two nights assisting local people to put out fires with no more than spades and shovels to try to beat back the flames. The work was done in a unified manner between members of the community, volunteers, the county council, the Army, the Garda and Civil Defence and was second to none.

We can now reflect on what happened. It was lucky that no one was badly injured or killed. Unfortunately, one house was lost in the Ballyshannon area and an enormous amount of damage was caused to agricultural land and fencing, as well as to Coillte lands owned by the State and private forestries. The difficulty with agricultural land, in particular fencing, is that it is not covered by insurance. Therefore, farmers will receive no recompense. They will have to dig into their own pockets to replace any fencing lost. Many of the farmers I met in the past few weeks told me they did not have money to replace it.

I raise this issue in the hope the Minister of State will work closely with the IFA to try to come up with some scheme to help the farmers concerned. I am not sure if there is any scope to apply to the European Union for additional funding to provide a once off payment, given that the fires were a rare occurrence. Farmers need a little help to get back on their feet. If a compensation package was made available, they would provide some of the funds themselves and the money would be spent locally in the process creating employment in replacing fencing, as well as in local farm suppliers who would supply the material needed.

I would be going too far if I was to look for funding to replace lost grazing land. Such a scheme would not be realistic.

The position in respect of forestry land also needs to be examined. We have to try to put some plan in place in case a similar incident occurs next year or the year after. In this regard, we need to work with all of the local agencies involved. In areas where the fire service is under-resourced, perhaps volunteers, including local farmers, could be trained on a community basis to assist the fire service in a professional manner.

It is probably a reflection of weather conditions - frost and heat. Farmers will also legitimately argue - I come from a farming background - that the grazing of sheep on uplands and hills has been discontinued owing to a decision taken in the European Union. As a consequence, heather was allowed to grow, but its growth was curtailed by frost. It was almost like using a match. While we can speculate on how the fire started, we all have reached our own conclusions. I have spoken to the Garda about the matter and if there was a malicious intent in starting the fires, those concerned should face the full rigour of the law. I know the Garda is conducting an investigation. I appeal, therefore, to anyone with information to contact it because lives could have been lost.

I hope the Government will consider this issue and make an early decision on providing some compensation on a percentage basis for the replacement of fencing. I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House to reply and look forward to his response.

Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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This is a good day for the Senator to raise the issue. It is easy to forget what happened five weeks ago. We are heading into a long weekend with warm weather forecast and we have issued a statement asking people to be vigilant. I learned a lot during my visit to County Donegal, in particular from those who were in the thick of it. I went to see the damage that had been caused. However, it was only when I travelled on the road from Ardara to Dungloe that I realised there could have been loss of life. It was because of the work done by young people, the elderly and everybody else who got together when fire units were stretched that houses were saved. I spoke to one man who thought his house was gone and the one thing he wanted to save was an accordion, which was nice to hear. I saw houses where everything up to the drainage system on the roof and the septic tank had been burned. A huge amount of damage was caused.

A group of people with ideas came together. Those who have forestries in the area or lands that can catch fire must form a unit and put a system in place to tackle the problem. I asked people in County Donegal, through the county council and the IFA, to put together a plan which we could be issued to county councils throughout the country.

At the beginning farmers were blamed. Then it was claimed rogues had started the fires. On one tour I saw an oil tanker which had exploded, crossed the forest, causing a fire to start. There was a mixture of three factors involved. It is welcome that the Senator has raised the issue, as what happened could happen again this weekend. We do not intend to let down those involved in forestry, about which I have become passionate, even though I am a dairy farmer by nature. It is a fantastic industry. If it is to grow, as the Senator rightly said, we have to have plans in place to deal with such problems.

In regard to the payment of compensation, I urge everybody affected to check their insurance policies first. I ask people in County Donegal to revert, through the IFA, with accounts of exactly what happened. Money is tight and I would be foolish to say any is available. While one should never close the door, much as I would love to be in a position to say it is, there is nothing available. However, one never knows what might happen.

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. Having spent my holidays in County Donegal last year, I was appalled at the wildfires which took place at the beginning of May throughout the country, especially in County Donegal. I visited the county on 7 May to witness the extensive damage caused to forestry and property near Glenties, Ardara and Dungloe and meet the families and communities placed most at risk. The aftermath of the fires showed that a small minority of people have a total disregard for the law and an equal, even more worrying disregard for human life. Only the efforts of the emergency services - the Army, Air Corps and Garda - and local volunteers stood between controlling the fires and an even greater disaster. As we approach the bank holiday weekend, respect for the law on land burning must remain paramount. Vigilance by rural dwellers must also apply to assist in identifying the lawbreakers and ensure they are brought to justice.

On compensation for the damage caused to grazing lands and agricultural fencing, my Department does not intend to compensate farmers for the damage caused during this spate of wildfires. Damage to property is a matter for individual farmers and I encourage landowners who have not already done so to insure themselves against such risks.

The majority of land fires occur between 1 March and 31 August each year when a legal ban on the burning of growing vegetation on uncultivated land applies under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. While many fires are started maliciously, the number started through carelessness and disregard for the law by landowners to clear gorse and scrub is equally worrying. The small minority who are responsible and disregard the law and people's lives and property must be identified and made to face prosecution, fines and imprisonment. Again I urge all rural dwellers to remain vigilant and take responsibility by reporting any suspicious activity to the Garda.

At times of high fire risk - dry and windy conditions - forest owners especially need to take responsibility by organising checks on their plantations. They should also ensure their insurance cover is adequate, fire breaks are in good condition and fire plans are in place.

Arising from the large increase in the number of forest fires which occurred during 2010, a working group was established in my Department in June 2010. The group, which consisted of representatives from the forest industry, the fire service, the Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, Coillte, Teagasc and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, was charged with making recommendations for ministerial approval with a view to tackling the problem of illegal and uncontrolled burning. The question of compensation arising from fire damage was not raised as an issue throughout the deliberations of the working group.

Following a full analysis of the issues involved, ten recommendations were made, the first of which was to change the mindset regarding the use of fire in traditional agricultural practices. The group recognised that under certain circumstances and based mainly on tradition, the burning of land to clear scrub and other unwanted vegetation has become an accepted farm management practice. As numerous cases during 2010 illustrated, however, there is a lack of knowledge and expertise regarding controlled burning among some farmers and landowners as well as ignorance of the legality of some of their actions. As a result, the working group made a recommendation for a publicity and educational campaign to address these fundamental weaknesses with a view to changing the mindset of those who light such fires. Similar campaigns in France and the United States have proved to be both informative and effective. My Department has engaged in such an information campaign outlining the hazards of setting illegal fires and the potential penalties under the single payment scheme. In addition to press articles, advertisements have been placed in the farming press. Three press releases have also been issued which have concentrated on the risks of forest fires, the aftermath of the May bank holiday wildfires and a current appeal to rural dwellers to remain vigilant over the June bank holiday weekend.

The other recommendations dealt with advising landowners on fire prevention, forest management and early detection. It was also recommended that landowners be advised of their obligation to notify their intention to burn to fire services and the Garda Síochána. Landowners should notify their local fire service control centre in advance of any controlled burn. This will ensure the fire services are not called out to attend a controlled burn which does not pose any threat to forests, human health or property. Under section 39(1) of the Wildlife Act 1976, prior notice of an intention to instigate a controlled burn must be given to the sergeant in charge of the Garda station in the Garda district concerned.

The importance of prosecution of offenders, the need for producer group involvement and the development of a code for controlled burning were also highlighted by the group. The development of an interagency statement setting out the areas of responsibility of Government agencies, the emergency services and private sector was also recommended. While I have responsibility for forestry and I am very concerned about this aspect of wildfires, the central role of the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government in emergency planning and fire also needs to be acknowledged. The fire services in the various local authorities performed outstanding work in dealing with the recent outbreak of fires.

It was also agreed by the working group that a map of land-based fire hot spots should be compiled to help target the educational campaigns specifically at these areas. The majority of instances of uncontrolled burning occur within specific geographical locations, for example, upland commonages. Targeted campaigns could be focused on these areas for maximum effect. The fire services and emergency planning section of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has been requested to compile this data, as it is the administrative unit which is best placed to offer an overall view of the land and forest fires profile for the country.

We all recognise that prevention is better than cure. It is, therefore, very important that we continue to place emphasis on co-operation between the agencies involved and landowners and rural dwellers to tackle the scourge of wildfires in a practical manner.

Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for addressing this important issue. He has indicated the Department does not intend to offer compensation to landowners affected by the recent fires. I welcome his earlier comment that if the farming community provides information on the damage caused, the Department may consider establishing a scheme provided funding becomes available. Is that an accurate reflection of the position?

Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As I stated, while I know it is wrong of me to leave the door open, my view always is that one should not shut a door completely. At present, however, money is not available to fund a scheme. I asked organisations locally to put their best foot forward. While circumstances sometimes change, it is unlikely they will change in this case, although I remain open to persuasion.