Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, the questions relate to hedge cutting and gorse burning. The Heritage Bill was commenced by the previous Government. I initiated it in the Seanad and it has progressed as far as Committee Stage. I obtained agreement from the Government to progress the legislation and it will continue on Committee Stage. I am awaiting a date to go to the Seanad to continue with the Bill. The proposal in the Bill is that the gorse-burning period would be extended to the end of March and that hedge cutting would be allowed from 1 August within certain conditions.

Under section 42 of the relevant act, local authorities are allowed to cut hedges at any time of the year for health and safety reasons. The issue of whether they cut the hedges is a matter for them in terms of a programme which covers such activity. There is hedge-cutting programme in the local authority area in Galway but there is none in my local authority area. If there is a health and safety issue, local authorities can arrange to have hedges cut. I understand the point Deputy Michael Collins was making. As sure as the rain comes, the hedges grow halfway out into the middle of some of those small roads and that can present a danger. I cannot understand why people cannot cut the grass, where it is not part of a hedge, around their property at the side of the road. That could be done but, obviously, people want to cut the hedge and the grass at the same time. I know what the Deputy is talking about in terms of road safety. That issue will be dealt with in the Heritage Bill and I have to wait until I get a date form the Seanad to proceed with it.

Regarding the national heritage areas, NHAs, that we plan to de-designate, to be clear on this, that is being done to compensate for the loss of habitat. In terms of the ones we are de-designating, we are going to redesignate most of the bogs which are in public ownership. That will impact less upon on the turf cutters in terms of those bogs being in public ownership and belonging to the State on which there would be no turf cutting. Those are the bogs that will be designated to compensate for the ones that we wanted to de-designate. The current NHA network comprises 284 raised bogs and the new NHA network will comprise 290 raised bogs. That was the thinking behind it and the Bill will proceed through the Oireachtas. There were more than 3,000 active turf plots in the current NHA network and 3,000 people were impacted upon and there are only 500 in the new network, in the new areas that will be de-designated.

That means that 2,500 people will be allowed continue to cut their turf.