Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry I was late coming in but I just want to make one comment. I was on Galway County Council for 12 years and every year we had a problem with trying to cut not so much the hedges but the verges, to make the roads safe. There was always a contradiction in that coming up to race week in Galway, they would cut all the roads leading in to the races which I would argue did not need to be cut at all but could not cut the grass along the local roads that I know about, which are dangerous where we have spent money on setting back boundaries.

It is important we realise that it is about safety on these narrow rural roads. It is not about cutting hedgerows as much as cutting the verges, which need to be done for safety. It is important we realise that in August, the bird nesting is complete and it can be done safely.

As Deputy Eamon Ryan and the Minister will agree, the best people to advise one about nature are the farmers because they need it more than anybody else. Consequently, by trusting the farmers, we are not running away from anything.

If we cannot cut the verges earlier we are spending a lot of money and letting grass grow up and people cannot see around the corners after setting back the boundaries. It is a contradiction if we cannot maintain them.