Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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1216. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for an update on the assessment of the impact of the use of the Difco cutter in peatlands, as mentioned in the National Peatlands Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46042/25]

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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1220. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for an update on the feasibility study on the creation of a national peatlands-wetlands park as committed to in the National Peatlands Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46056/25]

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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1221. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for an update on the Programme for Government commitments regarding peatlands and maximising benefits for biodiversity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46057/25]

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1216, 1220 and 1221 together.

The National Peatlands Strategy 2015-2025 was established in partnership between relevant Government Departments, State bodies and key stakeholders to provide better overall direction to Ireland’s approach to peatland conservation. A mid-term review of the strategy was published in 2023 following extensive public consultation.

There are very many actions under the current Programme for Government promote which support the restoration of priority habitats, including Peatlands.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is strongly committed to the protection of biodiversity and the restoration of Ireland’s important peatland habitats and NPWS is currently undertaking an accelerated programme of restoration on protected raised and blanket bogs across the country.

Since 2018, under the National Raised Bog Restoration Programme, restoration measures have been completed on more than 5,600 hectares of designated raised bogs in the midlands with preparatory actions already undertaken across 40 raised bog Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). Further phases of restoration works are due to commence within 7 sites in Q3 2025.

The very successful, Wild Atlantic Nature LIFE IP project is also undertaking restoration actions on blanket bog sites across the North-West, and through Natura Communities and the Shared Island Initiative Peatland Programme (SIIPP). Central to the WAN project is a pilot Results-Based Payment Scheme (RBPS) which rewards participating farmers for delivering environmental services – including biodiversity, water quality and carbon storage and sequestration – by linking payments to habitat quality, as determined by habitat scorecards. Farmer payments relate to ecological quality for their peatland, grassland and/or woodland habitats. The higher the quality of these habitats, the higher the payment the farmers receive. The RBPS approach has been incorporated into Ireland’s Common Agriculture Policy Strategic Plan 2023-2027 and is being rolled out to 20,000 farmers covering all of Ireland’s 55 blanket bog SACs.

Under Action 28 of the National Peatlands Strategy 2015-2025, the Peatlands Strategy Implementation Group was tasked with considering the creation of a National Peatlands Park in Ireland. As a starting point, in 2017 an examination was of existing and potential visitor facilities in the ownership of public, semi-state and voluntary bodies was completed. It identified fifteen different peatland sites in Ireland with features to be expected in a peatlands park.

The next step is a feasibility study for the establishment of a National Peatlands Park, which is expected to be initiated by the NPWS in the coming months.

It is important to note that the principal priority for the NPWS in relation to peatland conservation is the implementation of restoration and protection measures to meet the conservation objectives of protected peatland sites, particularly those designated as SACs under the Habitats Directive.