asked the Minister for Energy if he has plans to restore support to private bog development.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Private Bog Development.
10.
The private bog development grant scheme is being phased out at present following a decision made with effect from October 1987. I have no plans to reintroduce any such scheme.
This scheme was very successful and, for the Minister's information, over 58,000 acres were developed. In view of the emphasis placed on smokeless fuel especially, does the Minister not agree that we should be encouraging more private developers to get involved? There are vast acres of virgin bog in County Kerry which would be developed if these grants were available. I should like to point out to the Minister that this scheme was very popular in County Kerry where over 5,000 acres were developed under 117 schemes. I should like the Minister seriously to consider — this would be a very popular decision — reintroducing some form of grant aid. I earnestly request the Minister to consider this proposal.
The remit of the current scheme will go on for about two or three years more in the sense that those applications which were submitted and approved prior to the abandonment of the grant in 1987 still have a considerable way to run. A considerable amount of peatland throughout the country still benefits from the old scheme. The decision to terminate the scheme was taken both in the context of budgetary constraints and because the range of activities which had been created and developed throughout the country appear in the light of success, to be almost self-sustaining at this stage.
A brief supplementary question, please.
Has the Minister looked at the cost of sod peat coming from these privately developed bogs and the cost from Bord na Móna and at whether the advantage in cost from the privately developed bogs would justify another look at this scheme?
If you examine the figures in relation to Bord na Móna's involvement in sod peat prior to the introduction of that scheme and the current figures, Bord na Móna's sod peat activities would probably have reduced by close to two-thirds and the private sod development would have grown by six, eight, or perhaps even ten times what it was five to six years ago. Market forces alone have dealt fairly adequately with the tenor of the question.