Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 October 2014
245. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of turf cutters who applied for the turf compensation scheme that were approved for payment; the number that were refused; and the number pending. [40664/14]
View answer3,017 applications under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme for raised bog special areas of conservation have been received and acknowledged by my Department. 6,116 payments and 610 turf deliveries have been made in respect of the applications received. In addition, 1,197 once-off incentive payments of €500 have been made to applicants who have signed and returned legal agreements under the scheme to my Department. The scheme has been extended to landowners and turbary right holders affected by the restrictions on turf cutting in raised bog natural heritage areas. 147 applications have been received and 68 payments have been made to applicants from these sites.
My Department estimates that in the region of 2,200 individual applicants have received payments under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme.
The qualifying criteria for the scheme are that:
- The claimant must have a legal interest in one of the raised bog special areas of conservation or natural heritage areas – 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.
I am advised that, at this stage, 99 applicants have been informed by my Department that they do not fulfil the qualifying criteria of the scheme.
While it may be anticipated that there will be further instances where applicants will be informed that they do not fulfil the qualifying criteria of the scheme, current priority is being given to providing payments to those who clearly appear to fulfil the qualifying criteria on the basis of the information they have provided. In addition, establishing ownership rights is particularly complex and my Department is working with owners of land and turbary right holders to assist them in this regard.
A number of applicants are not being provided with compensation under the scheme as the areas on which they have been cutting turf are not within one of the designated sites.
