Vol. 417 No. 2
9 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Energy if he will outline his response to the report of the independent expert committee on the uses of Bord na Móna cutaway bogs; if he accepts the recommendations of the committee; if it is intended to implement the recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I outlined my response to the committee's report in a press statement which I released on 10 January 1992.
Some of the recommendations contained in the report have a direct bearing on the operations of Bord na Móna. I have not accepted the report's recommendation that the future uses of Bord na Móna cutaway bog should be subject to an independent planning process. It is my belief and that of the Government that Bord na Móna should continue the development of the bogs they own on commercial criteria and that they should seek to dispose of cutaway in accordance with the company's financial interests and market requirements.
There is a fundamental principle set out in the report that the disposal and allocation of cutaway should be determined by market forces. I am fully in agreement with this concept. As proposed in the report. I am making arrangements with Bord na Móna to ensure that a proportion of cutaway suitable for conversion to grassland will be disposed of in small lots to enable small full-time farmers, adjacent to the cutaway, to increase their holdings.
The report also recommends that the arrangement whereby cutaway identified as being suitable for conversion for afforestation is transferred to Coillte Teoranta should be discontinued. I have accepted this recommendation and, in future, such lands will be placed for sale on the open market. I would be satisfied that Coillte Teoranta will succeed in acquiring significant parts of such land for their purposes.
The report makes a large number of recommendations in relation to the development of the amenity and environmental potential of the cutaway and to the establishment of "farm villages". These are not areas in which I have any function, as Minister for Energy, but I would like to see the appropriate authorities and private interests collaborating to exploit the potential of the cutaway bogs for those purposes.
Can the Minister indicate the total area of cutaway bog at present under the control of Bord na Mona? Can he indicate also what area of cutaway bog which is outside the control of Bord na Móna and whether there are any proposals for dealing with that area of cutaway bog not under their control? Additionally, can the Minister indicate how much of the small parcels of cutaway bog — to which he referred in his reply — as being suitable for conversion to grassland has been transferred to small farmers to date? Furthermore, if the Minister does not accept that there should be a body established to plan the future of Bord na Móna cutaway bog can he indicate in what way the use of that land should be planned?
Unfortunately, I do not have the relevant information in regard to the total area of cutaway bog, I regret that, but I will get it and ask the Department of Energy to send it to the Deputy. The Deputy will be aware that cutaway bog in significant quantities began to become available only in quite recent years. Up to fairly recently there were not significant amounts of it. I note that, of the total boglands in the country, Bord na Móna only own 10 per cent. Therefore the bulk of bogland, whether cutaway or still peat-bearing, would be in private ownership here.
Can the Minister clarify why he has rejected the recommendation of the review group to have a planning process put in place — which would involve many interests — in view of the substantial amounts of land involved and in view of the importance of their future to the economy of the regions and the many varied uses to which they could be put?
Of course, the planning of cutaway bog, or its use in the future, relates only to cutaway bog and not to bogs generally. It is the view of the Government that Bord na Móna should continue to develop bogs where it is commercially viable but that they should dispose of cutaway bogs in the company's financial interests in response to market requirements which will allow them to do so most advantageously bearing in mind that over the years they have built up an enormous accumulated deficit which is a big drag on the Exchequer.
First, can the Minister indicate whether Bord na Móna have undertaken any research in relation to the suitability of these lands for grassland production? Second, since, as the Minister himself said, Bord na Móna have built up a huge deficit over the years, can they not be criticised for being absolutely neglectful of this land, some of which has been lying idle for over 30 years?
As I said earlier in reply to Deputy De Rossa, significant quantities of cutaway bog have become available only in recent years. That was not the case in earlier years. There were patches here and there. There may have been, say, 50 acres or 100 acres here or there, but there were not very large tracts which is likely to be the case in the future. As I understand it, Bord na Móna have undertaken quite an amount of research into its other uses, such as grassland. Of course, another obvious use would be horticulture for which cutaway would be suitable; afforestation would be another suitable use. As a result of the research they have undertaken in this respect, Bord na Móna are well aware of the potential of cutaway bog. I feel sure they would make the results of that research available to interested parties.
Part of my earlier supplementary related to the amount of cutaway bog, if any, which had been transferred to date to small farmers who had sought to increase their holdings. Can the Minister indicate whether any such parcels of land have yet been transferred to such farmers? Can he also indicate whether there has been any sale of cutaway bog by Bord na Móna, indeed, whether Coillte Teoranta have bought any and if he can indicate to what extent Bord na Móna have benefited financially from any such sales?
I believe Coillte Teoranta must have bought some of this land in the past because the committee recommended that they should not be given an automatic right to it in the future. Therefore, I infer from that that they must have bought some in the past. I am not aware that there have been sales to small farmers, as yet, which is what is recommended among other things in the report. I presume the Minister has accepted that recommendation and that that will begin to happen henceforth.
The Minister's reply touched on an issue which I would like him to clarify. Have the Minister or the Government accepted the recommendation that Coillte Teoranta should no longer have first refusal on cutaway bog suitable for forestry, and will it now be available in open competition to private and public alike? Have Bord an Móna been given the go ahead to proceed with the disposal of that land? The report is relatively new, only slightly over a month old. Have they actually been given the go ahead to dispose of land along the lines agreed by the Minister arising from the report?
I have already told Deputy De Rossa in reply to the last supplementary that Coillte Teoranta did not have or will not have from now on, the automatic right of acquiring these lands for forestry. They will have to bid against other interested parties. That no doubt will result in their buying some of the land, but probably not all of it.
Have they been given the go ahead?
Question No. 10. Let us make some progress.
They have. The detail of it has not been worked out, but in principle they have. The detailed administrative arrangements will have to be worked out with the Department. That is probably under way at the moment.
