Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 July 2022
119. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of jobs created in respect of proposed Government investment of €108 million in the Bord na Móna peatlands climate action scheme; the location of such jobs; and if such jobs are permanent or part-time. [36198/22]
View answerThe Bord na Móna Enhanced Decommissioning, Rehabilitation and Restoration Scheme (EDRRS) was established in 2020, as part of the Just Transition. It is sponsored by my Department and regulated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), with Bord Na Móna acting as the operators of the scheme. The EDRRS provides for the enhanced rehabilitation of 33,000 hectares of Bord na Móna peatlands that had been previously harvested for peat extraction for electricity generation over a 5-year period.
All of the lands being rehabilitated are operated under Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licences granted by the Environmental Protection Agency, and the EDRRS is building on, and complementing, the measures required under IPC licences. This rehabilitation will improve ecological and hydrological conditions in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, where conditions are suitable, reinstate carbon sequestration conditions over time.
The EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) is investing up to €108 million in the EDRRS. This funding supports a just transition by maintaining jobs in the Midlands, as well as laying the foundation for more substantial and sustainable job creation into the future. Permanent and seasonal employees who had been involved in peat production to date across counties Galway, Meath, Kildare, Westmeath, Offaly, Roscommon, Laois and Longford, have been provided an opportunity for employment by Bord na Móna on rehabilitation and greenway activities, including EDRRS, or other Bord na Móna activities. The peak number employed on EDRRS to date is 225.
