Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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56. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the level of consultation that has taken place regarding the proposed peatlands climate action scheme with local residents in each of the affected areas. [9873/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The approval of the Bord na Móna Enhanced Decommissioning, Rehabilitation and Restoration Scheme on 24 November 2020 reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to a just transition for workers in the Midlands. The scheme will, over time, employ 307 people, some of whom will be engaged on a seasonal basis, with 210 full time equivalents engaged over the delivery period. The scheme encompasses 33,000 hectares of Bord na Móna peatlands previously harvested for peat extraction for electricity generation. The scheme will protect the storage of 100 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. It is also estimated that over the period 2020 to 2050, 3.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions will be avoided.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service has been established as Scheme Regulator to ensure the effective oversight of the rehabilitation and restoration works. Bord an Móna must submit a plan for each bog to both the National Parks and Wildlife Services in respect of this scheme, and to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in respect of works required to meet their Integrated Pollution Control licence obligations. As part of this process, Bord Na Móna is consulting with stakeholders and landowners that may be impacted by the scheme. Bord na Móna carry out such consultation in accordance with EPA guidance on the process of preparing and implementing bog rehabilitation plans, which focuses on meaningful, early, on-going and transparent consultation with all national and local regulators, local interest/community groups, and affected parties.

Covid restrictions have impacted Bord na Móna’s capacity to call door-to-door to affected parties and, as such, newspaper advertisements have been issued in local publications. In addition, Bord na Móna have recently launched a digital information hub for the Scheme.