Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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1775. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of land owners who availed of the compensation scheme available arising from the designation of their lands as special areas of conservation; the advice she has received in relation to the non-availability of compensation for this designation to affected land owners given that the compensation scheme was an integral part of the process of designating these lands as SAC; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34717/14]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Under the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011, compensation is payable from my Department where a person has been refused consent by me, as Minister, for a prescribed activity within a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) or Special Protection Area (SPA) – also known as Natura 2000 sites - that he or she has been legally undertaking in the five year period prior to the refusal. Since the introduction of this compensation provision in 1997, fewer than 20 individual applicants have sought and been paid compensation, and these related predominantly to commercial peat extraction. The Deputy will be aware that a specific compensation scheme has been put in place for those affected by the cessation of domestic turf cutting on raised bogs selected for designation as SACs. Under the scheme, some 3,000 applications have been received and over €9m has been paid in compensation to date.

In terms of farming, a small-scale incentivising scheme - the National Parks and Wildlife Service Farm Plan Scheme - was made available to landowners in certain SPAs to undertake measures above and beyond those necessary to comply with legal requirements. To date, 658 farm plans have been produced under this scheme. The scheme is generally closed to new applicants, but payments to farmers who are in contract with my Department will continue until their contract expires.

While my Department has a lead role in relation to the implementation of the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, the bulk of available EU and national funding to assist farmers in meeting the requirements of these Directives is provided through the rural development programme, operated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Agri-environmental schemes such as REPS and AEOS have provided a range of supports, including payments in respect of Natura 2000 sites, to tens of thousands of farmers. The proposed new Green, Low carbon Agri-environment scheme (GLAS), to be operated by that Department, makes provision for financial supports for agri-environmental actions by farmers in SACs and SPAs.

It should also be noted that in accepting payments under the Single Farm Payment scheme, farmers agree to abide by legal requirements and restrictions arising from the designation of land within Natura 2000 sites.