Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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559. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will review the scheme of compensation for turf cutters to include the owners of turf banks who may not have cut turf for over ten years due to personal conditions such as health conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53054/17]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The qualifying criteria for the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme, administered by my Department, are that:

- The applicant must have had a legal interest (ownership or a turbary right) in one of the 53 raised bog special areas of conservation or 36 raised bog natural heritage areas on 25May 2010 and must have had the right to cut and remove turf from the property on that date;

- The applicant must have been cutting turf on the land in question during the relevant five year period (up to 25 May 2010 in respect of the 29 raised bog special areas of conservation nominated for designation between 1997 and 1999, up to 31 December 2011 in respect of the 24 raised bog special areas of conservation nominated for designation in 2002 and up to 14 January 2014 for the 36 natural heritage areas);

- The turf resource on the site has not be exhausted; and

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

My Department continues to assess each application for compensation on its individual merits and within the parameters of the qualifying criteria of the scheme.