I will speak about something that I spoke about on 16 December last. The Acting Leader will be familiar with this as it is an issue arising in our own area. On 16 December, I spoke about a situation that approximately 80 families in south east Galway are in. These families have historically harvested turf on three bogs in south-east Galway, namely, Ardgraigue, Barroughter and Cloonmoylan bogs. In 2011, these 80 families entered into a deal with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, whereby they would desist from harvesting turf on their bogs in exchange for €1,500 a year, index linked, in compensation for doing so, in addition to being given a replacement turf bank from which they could harvest their turf.

Fifteen years later, they have not been given the replacement turf banks by the NPWS. As of 1 January 2026, the 15 years of compensation are up and they will receive no compensation this year.

Before the end of last year, I warned in this House that the situation would come to a head and asked the Minister to intervene to either continue the compensation package or, as a matter of urgency, assign new turf banks, or allow these people to return to cutting turf on their turf banks. There has been no communication between the Minister and these families in the meantime. Later on today, these people, legally or otherwise, will return to their turf banks to cut their turf and I support them in doing so. The lack of communication with these people on the part of NPWS is not acceptable. People have been left in limbo for the past number of months despite the topic being raised on two separate occasions in this House and the Lower House. I am not sure about the legal status of people when they return to their turf banks and neither are the people themselves but they have found themselves with no alternative as a means of heating their homes next winter.