Taoiseach says 'pragmatic solution' can be found amid turf ban row
Taoiseach Micheál Martin pointed out that Dublin had been a 'very polluted city environment' in the 1990s when 'smoky coal was all over the place'. Picture: Eamon Ward/PA Wire
The Taoiseach has said he believes “a pragmatic solution” can be found to introduce regulations that will ban the commercial sale of turf.
Speaking on RTÉ radio on his way into Tuesday morning’s Cabinet meeting, Micheál Martin pointed out that Dublin had been a “very polluted city environment” in the 1990s when “smoky coal was all over the place”.
He said legislation to ban smoky coal had “a dramatic and transformative impact on the quality of the air that we breathe and it saved many lives”.
He said ultimately, smoky coal was “the villain, the real enemy”.
Mr Martin said turf was “dying out as a basic fuel".
“We want to be pragmatic about this and get a solution to the fact that many people in rural Ireland, in parts of the west and midlands, use turf from bogs they have or share with their neighbours," he said.
“It's not proposed to ban that. I think a pragmatic solution will be found.”
The Taoiseach said any measures brought in would have an impact next winter because by the time they were introduced, this year's harvest would already have been brought in.
Meanwhile, Environment Minister Eamon Ryan said we have to find a balance between saving lives and reducing the numbers experiencing fuel poverty.
Mr Ryan was speaking ahead of his meeting with coalition colleagues later in a bid to ease tensions over a ban on the commercial sale of turf.
Rural Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs have been angered by the move, which is set to take effect in September.
The Green Party leader said they want to reduce the number of premature deaths.
"The provisions we have will do that," Mr Ryan said.
"Not only the Cabinet today will discuss it but I'm meeting other members of the parliamentary parties and other parties in Government later today.
"I think it's a workable, deliverable approach to saving lives — that's what's at the centre of this."
Mr Ryan has since indicated that communities of 500 people or fewer will be exempt from the ban.
Sinn Féin has called a Dáil debate on the issue and wants the minister to scrap the plans.
The party's social protection spokesperson, Claire Kerrane, said Mr Ryan needed to look at the bigger picture.
"I think it's about 4% of the population that relies on turf, I do believe it's something that will naturally be phased out anyway," Ms Kerrane said.
"Many of them would actually move to an alternative rather than doing the backbreaking job that's the bog if the alternative was there, and it was affordable to them, but that's not the case."
Ms Kerrane said people were frustrated by the Government "doing things back to front" and alternatives needed to be put in place.
"We need to identify those people and fuel poverty, which we don't know we don't have the data and stats on that and we need to support them and prioritise them," she said.
Earlier, former Rural and Community Development Minister Michael Ring described the proposed turf-cutting restrictions as “the wrong regulations at the wrong time”.
The proposals were “a step too far” for some people, the Mayo TD told RTÉ radio’s .
He said it was a “daft” proposal and said the minister would have to reconsider it as there was now a war situation in Europe and people needed turf "more than ever".
Mr Ring said the regulations should be left as they were and people should be allowed cut turf.
“Now is not the time to do this", he said.
“This is a custom. People need their fuel, it cannot be taken from them.” There were “plenty of ways” to deal with climate change, this was a step too far for people, added Mr Ring.
“There will be consequences” he warned.
Green Party senator Pippa Hackett, minister of state for land and biodiversity, told the issue was ultimately about air quality and saving people’s lives.
“I think the proposals are fair as they stand," she said.
Ms Hackett said Mr Ring’s description of the proposals as “daft” was unfortunate since they were intended to save lives.
She said thousands of people had died over the past few years because of the failure to bring in such regulations in the past, adding the focus would be on air quality problems in urban centres around the country.
“Is there ever a right time?” she responded to Mr Ring’s comments.
“Any time that saves lives is the right time. It seems it’s always the wrong time for deputies like Michael Ring.”
It was “most likely” that small villages would not be impacted, she said and consultation was ongoing with bodies like Rural Link to determine the exact figures relying on turf as fuel, she said.
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