Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2013
707. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 412 of 22 January 2013, when payment of bog compensation will issue to persons (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16679/13]
View answerAs outlined in my replies to Question No. 412 of 22 January 2013 and Question No. 438 of 27 November 2012, the individuals referred to sold their interest in land in a raised bog special area of conservation under the voluntary bog purchase scheme, administered by my Department. An incentive bonus of €5,400, available under the scheme, was also paid to the applicants at the time of purchase, on the condition that they were selling all plots of bog land in their possession and registered or unregistered turbary rights within a designated area.
The individuals have applied for compensation under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme. The qualifying criteria for this scheme are that:
The claimant must have a legal interest in one of the 53 raised bog special areas of conservation – ownership or turbary right;
The claimant must have been the owner or entitled to exercise turbary rights on the land in question on 25 May 2010;
The turbary on the site must not be exhausted;
The claimant must have been cutting turf on the land in question during the relevant five year period; and
No turf cutting or associated activity is ongoing on the property.
From the application submitted to my Department, it appears that the applicants purchased additional land within the raised bog special area of conservation in 2012. Therefore, they do not appear to have had a legal interest in the site through ownership or a turbary right on 25 May 2010.
My Department is considering the position of those who have applied for compensation under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme but do not appear to fulfil the qualifying criteria of the scheme for a variety of reasons and will be writing to all such applicants in relation to their position in due course.
