Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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287. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of applicants who did not meet the criteria of the turf cutting cessation scheme, that is, were not cutting turf on their plots in any of the five reference years, or where their plots are cut out and have no raised bog remaining, categorised by year from January 2011 to the end of December 2014, in an area (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9792/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The qualifying criteria for the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme, administered by my Department, are that:

- The claimant must have a legal interest in one of the raised bog special areas of conservation – ownership or turbary right;

- The claimant must have been the owner or entitled to exercise turbary rights on the land in question on 25 May 2010;

- The turbary on the site must not be exhausted;

- The claimant must have been cutting turf on the land in question during the relevant five year period; and

- No turf cutting or associated activity is ongoing on the property.

I am advised that, at this stage, one applicant from the raised bog special area of conservation referred to in the Deputy’s Question has been informed by my Department in 2015 that she does not fulfil the qualifying criteria of the scheme. This applicant has been provided with the opportunity to seek a Departmental review of this decision.

While it may be anticipated that there will be further instances where applicants will be informed that they do not fulfil the qualifying criteria, current priority is being given to providing compensation to those who clearly appear to fulfil the criteria on the basis of the information they have provided. In addition, establishing ownership rights is particularly complex and my Department is working with owners of land and turbary right holders to assist them in this regard.

A number of applicants seeking compensation in respect of the raised bog special area of conservation referred to in the Deputy’s Question are not qualified as the areas on which they have been cutting turf are not within the designated site.