1643. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the full legal basis upon which the High Court injunction was sought in 2025 against turf cutting activities on bogs (details supplied); to detail the considerations taken regarding the impact on the more than 40 families affected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55818/26]

1646. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the options available to him under the Activity Requiring Consent, ARC, framework, including ARC 04, to permit domestic turf cutting on designated sites; whether he will consider signing an ARC to allow families to cut turf on bogs (details supplied) for the 2026 season; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55821/26]

1647. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any social, economic or fuel poverty impact assessment was carried out prior to seeking the High Court injunction, particularly in relation to elderly households reliant on turf as their primary heating source; and if not, the reason such an assessment was not undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55822/26]

1648. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement that has taken place with the families affected by the injunction on bogs (details supplied); whether any alternative fuel supports or mitigation measures have been offered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55823/26]

1649. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a full account of National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, enforcement actions taken on bogs (details supplied) since 2011, including any instances where machinery was seized and subsequently returned; to clarify the legal basis for those actions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55824/26]

1650. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he will take to resolve the situation facing families who were prevented from cutting turf in 2025 and 2026; whether he will commit to lifting the High Court injunction or signing an ARC to allow turf cutting to proceed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55825/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1643 and 1646 to 1650, inclusive, together.

As Minister, I cannot comment on individual legal cases. The position is that turf cutting on the aforementioned Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) without the relevant statutory consent is unlawful, and I am unaware of any applications for such consent being granted for this activity on these sites.

The State has a legal obligation to ensure that these sites are adequately protected. Turf-cutting and associated drainage has a damaging effect on these protected habitats, and as Minister I am legally prohibited from granting consent for activities which would have an adverse effect on the integrity of these sites. My Department continues to monitor these sites and any such activities carried out without consent may be liable to prosecution.

Enforcement and compliance actions which the NPWS have taken in respect of unlawful activities, including relating to peat extraction and associated activities, on SACs and Natural Heritage Areas include (inter alia) taking prosecutions for alleged offences under the 2011 Regulations relating to unlawful peat extraction, issuing of letters to landowners and turbary rights holders on protected sites and cross-compliance reporting to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

My Department has provided significant financial supports and alternative arrangements where feasible to the turf cutters affected by the restriction of activities on these bogs. The NPWS has implemented a number of compensatory schemes over many years to assist these families that are no longer permitted to cut turf on their own lands or cannot exercise a turbary right without the relevant statutory consent.

These include the Voluntary Bog Purchase Scheme introduced in 1999 and the Cessation of Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme, which was established in 2011 for active domestic turf cutters, following extensive engagement with stakeholders. This scheme comprises an index-linked payment of €1,500 per annum for 15 years, (circa €24,000 on average per turf cutter) or where feasible, accommodation on a non-designated bog. Over the lifetime of the scheme, the State will have invested approximately €96 million in compensating turf cutters affected by restrictions on protected raised bogs. More than 3,500 active turf cutters have benefited from these supports. The Department continues to process applications for the bogs referenced.

The final payments made in 2025 and 2026 reflect commitments entered into 15 years ago when the restrictions first came into effect, while payments will continue for applicants on Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs), which were included in the scheme from 2015.

The Government continues to support those affected through a range of other initiatives, including:

home energy efficiency grants through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), which can provide grants of up to 100% for home retrofitting; and

fuel allowance payments through the Department of Social Protection, for households at risk of fuel poverty.