Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2017
664. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs her plans to pay compensation to any farmer who has designated land which they cannot sell; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13279/17]
View answerUnder the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulation and the Wildlife Acts, compensation may be payable where a person has been refused consent by me, as Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, for a prescribed activity within a designated site that he or she had been undertaking in the five year period prior to the refusal. However, compensation schemes have generally been put in place, where required, without the need to undergo a formal process under the relevant legislation. Such schemes include a comprehensive compensation scheme for those affected by the cessation of turf cutting on raised bog habitat.
