Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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1357. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he or his Department is aware that families are being prevented from cutting turf on Barroughter Bog, County Galway, Clonmoylan Bog, County Galway and Ardgraigue Bog, Killimor, by order of the National Parks and Wildlife Service; if will he take steps to ensure that a contractor engaged to cut turf for these families will be given access to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21166/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The EU Directive on the Conservation of Habitats, Flora and Fauna (92/43/EEC), commonly known as “the Habitats Directive” requires Member States to select sites, for the protection of habitats and species which are considered threatened in the EU territory and listed on the Annexes to the Directive. Annex I of the Habitats Directive includes priority habitats such as Active Raised Bog, which are considered to be in danger of disappearing within the EU territory.

Ireland has long selected and protected a number of sites for the protection of Annex I raised bog habitats, including Ardgraigue Bog, Barroughter Bog and Cloonmoylan Bog and designated these bogs as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). Approximately 9% of Ireland's original raised bog resource is protected for conservation purposes.

The cessation of turf cutting is generally required on all raised bog SACs to ensure Ireland meets its habitat conservation obligations.

These SACs are included in European Sites as defined by the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations, 2011 ("the 2011 Regulations"). The cutting of turf may not be carried out or caused to be carried out or continued to be carried out on these plots by any person save in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 30 of the 2011 Regulations or with the consent of the relevant authority. It is a criminal offence subject to prosecution for a person to engage a contractor to carry out turf cutting without the required Ministerial and /or relevant statutory consent.

To facilitate the cessation of turf cutting, the Cessation of Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme (CTCCS) was launched in 2011, from date of legal cessation for 15 years, to compensate households affected by the restriction on turf cutting for domestic use on raised bog Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). To date, my Department has paid 297 families who had been cutting turf on Ardgraigue, Barroughter and Cloonmoylan and is processing a further 196 applications. Over €6.8 million has been paid to families who had been cutting turf on these sites, as part of a national scheme that has paid €74 million since 2011.