I welcome back the Minister of State, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, for coming in to hear this Commencement matter this morning. I am here yet again to speak about something I have spoken about a number of times previously in this House, which is the cessation of the turf-cutting compensation scheme. In particular, I wish to speak about the situation involving the 80 families in my own area of south-east Galway, who have traditionally cut turf on three bogs, namely Barroughter, Ardgraigue and Clonmoylan, who entered into an agreement with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, back in 2011 through this cessation of turf-cutting compensation scheme.

At the time, what these 80 families signed up for was an annual index-linked payment, beginning with €1,500 a year. It was to be an annual payment that was to be in place for up to 15 years or until the NPWS would be in a position to relocate the families to an alternative turf bank, as the bogs they were working on had been deemed special areas of conservation, SACs. Fifteen years later, we have arrived in 2026. These payments have come to an end and the NPWS has not successfully relocated any of the 80 families in question. These families are now in a situation where their turf banks are on SAC raised bogs. Their compensation stream has come to an end and they find themselves with nowhere to legally cut turf. Speaking in this Chamber on 16 December last, I flagged that this was going to come to a head this spring or in the early summer. I called on the Minister to intervene with three potential options: give a derogation to allow these families to return to cut turf on their original family-held turf banks; continue the compensation package; or, as a matter of urgency, in advance of this year's turf-cutting season, to find alternative turf banks for these 80 families. Regrettably, none of the above has happened. Not only that, there has been no communication between the NPWS and these families in the meantime.

The situation we are in now for these families in south-east Galway is that they have empty turf sheds. Fuel prices, as the Minister of State knows, are at an all-time high and the turf-cutting season began last week. Now is the time to have the machines in the bog cutting the turf. Should these 80 families maybe do something that is legally questionable and return to their historic family turf banks, which are now in an SAC area, and cut their turf? Will the NPWS and the Department write to these families to let them know they intend to extend the compensation package for this year and into the future until they are in a position to honour the agreement they made by providing alternative turf banks?

I thank Senator Murphy for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne.

Ireland is endowed with a rich network of peatlands of raised and blanket bogs which are vital for biodiversity, supporting climate and flood mitigation, and importantly are an intrinsic part of our cultural heritage. The EU directive on the conservation of habitats, flora and fauna, commonly known as the habitats directive, requires all member states to select sites for the protection of habitats and species considered threatened in the EU territory. Ireland has achieved this for raised bog habitats by selecting 9% of our original raised bog resource and protecting them as SACs, which the Senator has already referred to, and natural heritage areas, NHAs. The raised bog SACs and NHAs covered by the cessation of turf-cutting compensation scheme are, as such, considered wetland ecosystems of high ecological value. The main threats to their conservation arise from any actions that remove the vegetation, drain water or cause them to dry out. In the case of active raised bogs, a priority habitat under the directive, the average water levels need to be close to the surface for most of the year to survive.

Turf cutting involves the direct removal of peat and the vegetation on top. The associated drainage compromises the hydrological integrity of these protected bogs and lowers the water table. These changes to the bog structure not only result in the loss of the unique raised bog ecology but under certain conditions can influence the hydrology of the bog and its surrounding landscape. The Government has recognised the traditional activity of cutting by citizens for their own domestic use and that these needs must be balanced with the conservation objectives and obligations on the State. The rights of turf cutters are being addressed through compensation under the cessation of turf-cutting compensation scheme, through other incentives and initiatives or through relocation to alternative sites where feasible.

The State has worked collaboratively with turf cutters, contractors and their representatives under the scheme and this has resulted in a cessation of turf cutting on over 85% of the raised bog SACs since 2011. These restrictions are necessary to address issues raised by the European Commission in legal proceedings against Ireland in the European Court of Justice. I thank the turf cutters and contractors who have co-operated with the State and supported the transition from these protected sites.

The cessation of the turf-cutting compensation scheme was established following engagement with stakeholders in 2011 for active domestic turf cutters arising from these restrictions on turf cutting on 53 raised bog SACs and was extended in 2014 to include 36 raised bog NHAs. The scheme comprises a payment of €1,500 per annum, index-linked, for 15 years, or relocation, where feasible, to a non-designated bog, together with a once-off legal agreement payment of €500. While applicants were waiting for relocation sites to be investigated, prepared and developed, they could have opted for the annual payment or opt to receive an annual supply of up to 15 tonnes of cut turf delivered to their homes. No additional relocation sites are expected to be identified at this stage, although a small number of plots are being developed.

Eligible applicants on raised bog SACs where turf cutting ceased in 2011 received their final payment under the 15-year scheme in 2025. Applicants on SACs where turf cutting ceased in 2012 will receive a final payment in 2026. Where turf cutting ceased on the raised bog natural heritage areas at different stages between 2014 and 2017, payments will continue to be made annually with final payments being made from 2028 to 2031.

This scheme has compensated turf cutters for the impact of restrictions on turf cutting on these protected sites. Over a 15-year term it has helped to ensure the conservation of important peatland sites of unique ecological value. The estimated costs of provisional payment over the lifetime of this scheme will reach €96 million.

Other supports operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and the Department of Social Protection are available to those with older homes or inefficient heating systems and those most at risk of fuel poverty. The cutting of turf and associated turf cutting activities remain a regulated activity in the SACs and NHAs. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has, since the scheme came into operation, successfully restored many of those raised bogs in the SACs and NHAs and that work programme will continue. In his reply, Senator Murphy might indicate whether he has had contact with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in respect of the matters he raised and of the case of the 80 families he addressed in his contribution so that I can arrange for matters to be followed up with the relevant parties.

Yes indeed, my own office has over the past number of months been in touch with both the Minister and the NPWS on the matter on behalf of the 80 families in question in south-east Galway. To a point, I agree with what the Minister of State is saying. This scheme has been very successful for the protection of the peatlands. It just has not been successful for the people on the ground who co-operated with the scheme in good faith. These families co-operated with the scheme in good faith on the clear understanding that a genuine effort would be made to find alternative turf banks for them. The general opinion right across south-east Galway is that the effort made to find relocation turf banks was a very poor box-ticking exercise.

As is the case with so many of our lost rural traditions, 30 years from now young people will ask, "What happened to the tradition of turf cutting? Why did Irish people abandon the age-old tradition of turf cutting in this country?" While our wetland habitats might be threatened, they are not threatened to anywhere near the same extent as an awful lot of our very endangered rural traditions, and I include turf cutting in that. I fear that we will answer future generations by telling them that this Government was involved in the systematic extermination of an age-old tradition, turf cutting, right across rural Ireland. Very often I wonder if it is to appease people who maybe have very little understanding about the difference between the damage being done by cutting turf for a supply in a domestic home on a singular basis as was traditionally done and the industrial-scale peat extraction that was done by the State through Bord na Móna. They have two very different consequences for our wetlands.

I thank Senator Murphy again for bringing this important issue up for discussion, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne. I assure Senator Murphy that every effort is made to support individuals who cut turf on protected bogs. The turf cutting scheme has operated for 15 years. The majority of turf cutting sites have accepted compensation and others have consented to the restoration works of the protected raised bog restoration incentive scheme. The turf cutting compensation scheme is a landmark achievement balancing environmental preservation with community support. In its 15-year term, the scheme compensated more than 3,500 active turf cutters through an annual payments index linked to relocation options to ensure energy security. This initiative has also facilitated the conservation of 53 special areas of conservation and 36 national heritage areas, addressing legal action against the State in protecting peatland sites of unique ecological value for future generations. Through the scheme, the National Parks and Wildlife Service demonstrated that significant ecological restoration is possible through fair and sustainable community engagement.

The matters brought up by the Senator today will be brought to the attention of the Minister and the National Parks and Wildlife Service and I suggest he follow up again with the respective parties on this matter in respect of his constituents. The Government will continue to support local peatland communities through schemes such as the peatlands and Natura engagement scheme and other incentives that sustain biodiversity. By investing in the restoration of these protected peatlands we can unlock a multitude of benefits for both society and the environment.

I welcome to the Gallery a group of students and their teachers from the Harold School, Glasthule. They are guests of the Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. As is customary in Seanad Éireann, there will be no homework for the students today. I hope they really enjoy their visit to Leinster House.