Written answers
Thursday, 18 June 2015
Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Payments
Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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270. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide, in tabular form, a list of all the commercial operators who have been provided with monetary compensation and-or an alternative relocation bog out of public funds, as a result of the cessation of commercial operations on bogland sites designated under European and Irish legislation; if he will include, in each individual case, the site code of the designated site; the year the site was designated; the designation type; the year commercial operations ceased; the year payment was made; the amount of bog being surrendered on the site; the total figure for monetary compensation paid; the figure for compensation paid per acre; the area of alternative relocation bog provided; the total cost to the State of each individual agreement, plus the overall cost to the State for the cessation of all commercial operations on designated bogs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24292/15]
Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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271. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will state for the record of Dáil Éireann that all persons, individual or corporate, who were cutting turf or extracting peat commercially on those bogs that are designated as sites of community importance, have received full compensation and-or relocation to another bog in respect of the losses imposed upon them and their enterprises by the designation of the bogs on which they were operating as being of special community importance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24313/15]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 270 and 271 together.
In February 1999, compensation arrangements for industrial and commercial operators affected by the cessation of turf cutting on raised bogs, which were proposed as special areas of conservation, were announced. These compensation arrangements become applicable to additional sites over time.
Since then, applications for compensation from affected industrial and commercial operators have been made to and assessed by my Department. Compensation has been paid by my Department on the basis of proven actual losses incurred as a result of the cessation of industrial and commercial turf extraction on protected sites.
There is no standard per acre rate of payment of compensation in respect of these applications. Compensation is paid on the basis of the assessment in each individual case.
My Department holds no records of any industrial and commercial operators being compensated by relocation to a non-designated bog.
The table below sets out the details of payments made, including legal fees, on foot of applications for compensation from industrial and commercial operators affected by the cessation of turf cutting on protected sites. The total amount paid in compensation amounts to €7,613,807.
Officials from my Department will need to examine each individual file with a view to ascertaining the year each applicant ceased operations. The information derived from this exercise will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
- | Candidate SAC or NHA | SITE CODE | SITE NAME | Year site nominated for designation as an SAC or NHA | Year in which compensation was paid | Area of land covered by the application for compensation (Ha) | Amount of compensation paid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case 1 | Raised Bog cSAC | 000248 | Cloonmoylan Bog cSAC | 1997 | 2011 | 16.9334 | €157,532 |
Case 2 | Blanket Bog cSAC | 002006 | Ox Mountains Bog cSAC | 1997 | 2004 | 32.37 | €143,787 |
Case 3 | Raised Bog cSAC | 001818 | Lough Forbes Complex cSAC | 1997 | 2006 | 18.6122 | €442,466 |
Case 4 | Raised Bog cSAC | 000641 | Ballyduff/Clonfinane Bog cSAC | 1997 | 2003 | 15.7327 | €447,666 |
Case 5 | Raised Bog NHA | 001448 | Forthill Bog NHA | 2002 | 2004 | 7.4364 | €188,289 |
Case 6 | Raised Bog NHA | 000677 | Cloncrow Bog (New Forest) NHA | 2002 | 2004 | 37.2324 | €443,462 |
Case 7 | Raised Bog NHA | 000640 | Arragh More Bog NHA | 2002 | 2011 | 35.6136 | €720,327 |
Case 8 | Raised Bog cSAC NHA | 002331 & 001725 | Mouds Bog cSAC & Nure Bog NHA | 2002 | 2012 | 142 | €2,687,236 |
Case 9 | Raised Bog NHA | 000937 | Scohaboy Bog NHA | 2002 | 2009 | 5.57 | €418,705 |
Case 10 | Raised Bog NHA | 000937 | Scohaboy Bog NHA | 2002 | 2013 | 46.3 | €855,000 |
Case 11 | Raised Bog cSAC | 002331 | Mouds Bog cSAC | 2002 | 2010 | 16.3 | €605,270 |
Case 12 | Raised Bog cSAC | 002331 | Mouds Bog cSAC | 2002 | 2007 | 10.2134 | €140,234 |
Case 13 | Raised Bog cSAC | 000391 | Ballynafagh Bog cSAC | 1997 | 2008 | 1.8490 | €26,200 |
Case 14 | Raised Bog NHA | 000642 | Ballymacegan Bog NHA | 2002 | 2010 | 22.337 | €337,633 |
€7,613,807 |
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