Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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263. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding a bog in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48465/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The National Raised Bog Special Areas of Conservation Management Plan 2017-2022, published in December 2017, sets out how the raised bog special areas of conservation are to be managed, conserved and restored and how the needs of turf cutters are to be addressed, including exploring the options in terms of certain provisions of article 6 of the EU Habitats Directive.

In certain areas where there is a difficulty in finding relocation solutions for turf cutters, my Department, in consultation with turf cutter interests and within the framework of the National Plan, is considering whether the provisions of article 6.3 of the Directive could be utilised to provide for domestic turf cutting within areas of a number of special areas of conservation. Under article 6.3 of the Directive consent could only be given to cut turf on a raised bog special area of conservation where it can be shown by rigorous scientific investigations that such cutting will not have an adverse effect on the (ecological) integrity of the site.

If it can be demonstrated that turf cutting within a proposed location in a special area of conservation would not impact on the integrity of a European site, the appropriate consent would then be required from the relevant public authority.

As set out in the National Plan and in my reply to Question No. 1216 of 6 November last, the site referred to in the Deputy's Question is one of the sites being examined as regards the potential for domestic turf cutting on the site in accordance with the provisions of the Directive. The initial phase of scientific investigations on the site, undertaken by contractors engaged by my Department, was completed in November 2017. These investigations illustrated that a further specialised examination of the bog was required because of the hydrological and topographic complexities of this particular site. The results of this examination, undertaken this year, mean that it has not been possible to rule out, beyond reasonable scientific doubt, the threat of peat failure (bog burst) if turf cutting resumes in the south of the bog, as required by article 6.3 of the Habitats Directive.

Consequently, a final phase of concentrated geophysical and hydrological investigations is scheduled to be carried out in early 2019 to assess the level of risk of peat failure in the proposed domestic turf cutting area in the south of the site.

Officials from my Department will keep the group, referred to in the Deputy's Question, informed of developments, when these investigations are completed and the results of same are made known to the Department.