Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 May 2012
5Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide a breakdown of the costs associated with the deployment of Air Corps reconnaissance flights to record activity on the 55 special areas of conservation raised bog sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24692/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn accordance with the roles assigned to them in the White Paper on Defence, the Air Corps is committed to providing support to the civil authorities including Government agencies such as the National Park & Wildlife Service, NPWS, which is the agency responsible for monitoring activity on raised bog special areas of conservation.
As part of the efforts to ensure Ireland's compliance with the EU ban on turf cutting in special areas of conservation, the NPWS submitted a request to the Department of Defence seeking the transport of NPWS personnel in Air Corps aircraft to monitor these areas.
The Department of Defence follows the normal practice in the aviation business of costing aircraft by reference to the cost per flying hour. For these missions, the Cessna aircraft has been used and the average hourly direct cost of operating this aircraft which include fuel and maintenance costs is €185. The cost to date in 2012 of providing assistance to the NPWS is €13,875 based on approximately 75 hours of flying time.
I thank the Minister. I understand that apart from the Air Corps flying unit another unit has been hired from O'Connor's in Weston Airport and that a black helicopter has been used also.
I do not consider the Minister to be someone who would be eager to waste resources. Given that most people accept the turf will probably be cut in any case, it is probably a waste of money on the part of the State to try to police the issue. It seems we do not have enough money to keep all our Garda stations open. I recently spoke to gardaí in Wexford where several stations have been closed and the number of squad cars in the fleet has been cut. These measures are having a highly damaging effect on the morale of gardaí in the area. At a time of such scarce resources, it is disappointing the Government sees fit to harass innocent rural people who are availing of their inalienable right to cut turf.
It is a great pity that the Deputy does not have regard to the substantial fines that could be imposed on the State for failing to comply with European Union regulations with regard to the bogs the Deputy addresses. The Air Corps and Garda Síochána have an obligation to uphold the law of the State. If the law of the State was being complied with, there would be no reason for any expenditure of this nature to be incurred. This is a particularly difficult and protracted dispute that has arisen. I presume the Deputy has some familiarity with it and the possible liability to the State and taxpayers if the State does not do what is required to uphold a law that has been in place for some years and which the State has failed to implement. I regret the necessity to spend any resources in this area but if resources are being spent, it is because there are individuals who are intent on continuing to break the law, have not agreed to implement reasonable proposals to resolve the issue and appear to be intent not merely on maintaining the dispute but continuing to break the law.
People have been cutting turf for 400 years. At one stage it appeared a fair compromise could be reached between the turf cutters, on the one side, and the Government and Europe, on the other, but all reason appears to have disappeared again. It would be nice if the Government would stand up for citizens. If it is being bullied by Europe on this issue, perhaps it will garner the courage to stand up for turf cutters given that turf has been cut for 400 years.
I am conscious that the Deputy has very little respect for the law and has seen fit to break it.
That is an unfair comment.
It is a great pity that, as a Member of this House, he will not have regard to the fact that there are laws with which people must comply. If they are not complied with, those who choose to break them are doing so in circumstances in which they are apparently intent on having fines of tens of thousands of euro imposed on the rest of the community and expect the rest of the community to take them on their shoulders. My colleague, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, has done everything humanly possible to have this problem addressed in a manner which is respectful of those who for many years had access to bogs which may no longer be used for turf cutting. A scheme was proposed and put in place, mediation was organised and it was hoped and understood that this process would produce an outcome. Unfortunately, it appears there is no possible outcome. I do not know whether that is simply because of a general incapacity or refusal to understand the serious position the State is in or whether there may be some Member of this House who wants to play politics with the issue for his own benefit.
While I am as keen to keep within the law as the Minister is, I am probably less keen than he is to treat people unfairly.
The time for the question has concluded. We will move on to other questions.
They had laws in Nazi Germany too, but thank God some people broke them.
The Deputy should withdraw that remark.
I will not withdraw anything.
If he is so foolish as to suggest that the difficulties in relation to the bogs replicate matters that happened in Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s-----
We are heading in that direction.
-----I would suggest he seek to educate himself on what occurred. If he thinks there is any comparison between the dispute he is continuing to maintain in relation to bogs and the death of 6 million people in the Holocaust, perhaps the Deputy will go and examine his conscience.
May I respond?
No, I am not getting involved.
The Minister was given an opportunity to speak while I am not being allowed to respond.
I did not hear the initial comment.
The Deputy's comment was a disgrace and he should withdraw it.
I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for not giving me an opportunity to respond.
I did not hear the initial comment. I invite Deputy Flanagan to raise any issue he may have with the Ceann Comhairle.
I ask the Deputy to withdraw the comment he made.
I did not hear it. I call on the Minister to reply to Questions Nos. 6 and 13.
Do what you are told, Minister.
Deputy, you are an ignorant buffoon.
Do what you are told.
It is a pity Deputy Flanagan does not have the decency to apologise before he leaves the House.
A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, does the Minister have a right to keep having a go at me without me being given a right to respond? You have not admonished the Minister in any way for the statements he has made. When I try to leave the House he throws comments at me. I ask you to tell him not to throw a comment at me when I leave the House this time, as it is unfair. I was using an analogy to show there are times when one has no choice but to break the law.
It is an analogy the Deputy should withdraw.
I will not withdraw anything; I stand by what I said. There are times when responsible citizens break the law in the name of justice.
I invite the Minister to reply to Questions Nos. 6 and 13.
Do you want to throw something else, coward?
