Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I am very angry about this issue. I do not have the experience of the Ward Union Hunt that Deputies Johnny Brady, Mary Wallace and Thomas Byrne have. They spoke from the heart about it, specifically on the hunt. I want to follow up on Deputy Byrne's remarks. People believe the Minister is against the Irish countryside. He has his idea of the countryside and does not mind what happens to communities, community groups, football clubs, schools, churches or any other body.

Deputy Byrne mentioned one-off housing, which is irrelevant to this Bill, but it is related to the attitude that informs it. People know the Minister and his party are trying to ensure those who want to live on the farms on which they were born and reared, or near thereto, will no longer have the opportunity to do so.

The Ward Union Hunt has a proud tradition. During the debate on this issue, I became annoyed by the efforts of some to claim the Ward Union Hunt is an old British club that has nothing to do with Ireland. It has a long association with Irish traditions, as Deputy Byrne stated. It is certainly not tied to the elements that have been suggested.

The Bill is short and one could deal with it in five minutes. Its purpose is to deal with the Ward Union Hunt and to make some changes to the fines regime. It makes some welcome changes, as has been said.

The Minister referred to the history of the Ward Union Hunt and outlined the dangers of hunting. He stated his concerns are shared by some of his predecessors. He referred to public safety issues and said it is simply not possible for hunters to prevent deer in flight from leaping through hedges onto public roads. He recalled the incident regarding one deer who entered a children's playground. It is easy to pick out one incident.

Yesterday I spoke to the Minister's colleague from County Meath, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Noel Dempsey, about the road from Derry to Dublin. It links the capital to the fourth biggest city and Donegal. We are planning to give the Northern Ireland Assembly £400 million to provide a road from Derry to Aughnacloy, yet we have no plans to construct a road from Aughnacloy to Castleshane.

Only a few months ago, a juggernaut came around the corner in Emyvale village and drove straight into a group of houses. It was a miracle that nobody was killed. One family was in Scotland for a few days for a family function and the others were not at home at the time. The houses can be seen by anybody.

Many people have been killed on the road between Monaghan and Emyvale but there is not the same urgency in the House about it as there is about this Bill. We must get our House in order and realise where we can save human lives. I am not saying we should abuse stock; I love stock, I am a farmer and have lived with stock all my life. To isolate this issue and make a big deal about it is a sham.

The Minister states hunting is dangerous to people and hard on the animals. From reports I have read, there are very different views on this. As the Minister's Fianna Fáil colleagues have said, further study needs to be done on it and a report needs to be produced before a hammer is used to crack a nut.

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