I raise the recent announcement by Bord na Móna that it is to accelerate the reduction of peat harvesting. This decision will wipe out a traditional industry with all its financial reward, rich history and tradition. The founders of Bord na Móna were people with outstanding vision and ambition who took creative, bold and courageous decisions. They dedicated themselves to achieving policy objectives by using natural resources to create employment, build communities and financially sustain rural areas. Harvesting the bog to save turf or manufacture briquettes has come to a shuddering halt. This is due to environmental consequences and the necessity to comply with European regulations regarding the use of fossil fuels.

As a representative of County Tipperary, I have seen at first-hand the devastation caused by the closure of the Littleton briquette factory, which resulted in the loss of 125 jobs and a loss to hundreds of other service providers. The workforce was made up of general workers, electrical and mechanical engineers, fitters, administrators and management. The closure of the Littleton plant has impacted on Littleton, Killenaule, Ballingarry, Templetuohy, Thurles and all of the surrounding areas. It was sudden and swift and was greeted with widespread dismay. The decision by Bord na Móna was noted for its lack of advance notice and consideration for the employees and their dependent families. The redundancy package on offer was meagre and did not reflect the years of dedicated, committed and loyal service by the workers. We had to fight long and hard to secure an enhanced package. After a protracted struggle, we got an agreement on terms which I presume will now become the blueprint for redundancy negotiations on behalf of the workers affected by the midland closures.

What is evident and very clear is the absence of a strategy by Bord na Móna to provide alternative opportunities. There is no effort to maintain rural infrastructure and support the communities that are so devastated by the resulting job losses. Bord na Móna's announcement of the closure is long on aspiration and very short on detail. The bog is a unique natural resource.

The question and challenge now is how to utilise and maximise the potential for the future. Like the original inspirational leaders and founders of Bord na Móna, we must revisit the drawing board. We must be imaginative and creative to harness the bog for alternative uses. We have to create business opportunities. The question arises as to what the future will hold. If the 500 alternative jobs which Bord na Móna states it can deliver are ever to materialise, they need the full resources and support of the State. Within the national brain trust there is an abundance of relevant experience that could be made available through IDA Ireland, Teagasc, Bord Bia and Bord Fáilte. The peatlands are national assets and the best intelligence should be deployed as a matter of urgency to address their development in a concentrated and joined-up manner. Whatever the solution is, the future requires heavy investment. I ask that the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, which has billions of euro at its disposal, be mandated to assist Bord na Móna in developing a path to the future.

I thank Deputy Lowry for raising the important issue of the future of Bord na Móna and its impact on the economy and jobs in the midlands, in particular. He is correct to say that when Bord na Móna was established, part of the original vision of semi-State bodies was that the Government would step in to set up State-owned enterprise where the private sector dared not to go. Bord na Móna was originally established with a mandate to develop the midlands region using its natural resources, especially peat which was to be harvested for fuel to produce electricity and create jobs and economic development in the region, as it is has done successfully for decades. Things have changed since and we now know about climate change and that peat is a particularly dirty fuel. Even the harvesting of peat and turf releases CO2. Burning it for electricity does the same. Therefore, things need to change. Bord na Móna needs to transform from being a semi-State company based on peat that creates CO2 emissions to a green company involved primarily in producing renewable energy, waste recovery and recycling and also in new industries involved in the retrofit of public buildings and houses. That is the plan the company has and it is one of which the Government wants to be part. However, as always with climate change, we need a just transition. We need to bear in mind the impact the changes will have on people who used to work in Bord na Móna and the communities and local economies supported by the revenue the company creates. It is important that redundancies be voluntary. It is also important that good redundancy packages be put in place and early retirement offers made. In addition, it is important that staff be given the opportunity to train for new jobs in the company, whether it in the renewable energy sector, waste recovery and recycling or retrofit. That is the vision we have for Bord na Móna, namely, bringing about a just transition and turning it from a company based on peat which causes climate change to one that is all about renewable energy, retrofit and waste recovery and into a green semi-State company. There are enormous opportunities for the midlands region and the staff, including future staff, of Bord na Móna if we embrace that vision. I agree that the State needs to be involved and that potentially funds such as ISIF and others could be involved in helping to make the transition possible.

It is important that the State does become involved because it is obvious to anyone who knows anything about it that Bord na Móna's financial resources are already stretched. The cost of the redundancy package that must be available to the workers in the midlands and County Tipperary has to be met from its resources; there will, therefore, be no investment funds left. The support of the ISIF must be made available to Bord na Móna and it must work in conjunction with it.

I ask the Taoiseach to raise one other issue with Bord na Móna. In County Tipperary 10,000 acres of bog stretch from Littleton as far as County Laois.

Already, we have had trespassing on these lands and people have taken ownership of lands. It is a major concern for local residents in local areas because of vandalism and the violence that goes with it. Bord na Móna should be asked to protect what is a national asset. We are talking about 10,000 acres of land in my area. We are also talking about huge industrial buildings that have a value, but if they are not secured properly, they will lose it.

I am glad that we are in the presence of the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, as I do not need to commit to making him aware of what Deputy Lowry has mentioned. It is essential that Bord na Móna protect what are public assets – its buildings and bogs. I would not like to see a situation develop such as that that has occurred for CIÉ during the years, where large amounts of land owned by CIÉ and Irish Rail have been encroached on by people who then acquire squatters' rights and ownership of the land. It is important that public assets be protected and defended by the company in the interests of the wider public and especially people living in the midlands.

The Deputy mentioned the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund as a possible source that could be used to help to fund Bord na Móna's transition. That is an option. There are other funds to bear in mind, including the €1 billion rural development fund, the regional enterprise fund and the €500 million climate action fund. We should be able to make the first set of announcements of funding from these funds before the end of the year. There is potential in that regard, as well for the company.