Roscommon Senator Eugene Murphy has welcomed a commitment given by the Fianna Fail party that the current government will not agree to a ban on turf cutting or turf burning.

Senator Murphy says along with his colleague Barry Cowen TD, he spoke at the Parliamentary Party meeting last night (Wednesday) to ensure that there should be no threat to people cutting turf on their bog.

“We received a strong commitment that this will not happen under the current Programme for Government and there will be no effort made to undermine people’s rights to cut and burn turf for domestic use,” he said.

“The Programme for Government commits to the extension of the smokey coal ban to new towns, along with a move towards a national ban.  There is no such commitment in relation to the burning of turf or timber