Mr. Ger Hyland:

I thank Deputy Collins for his comments and his insight on the industry. The first point is about hedge cutting, which I raised last week. Hedge cutting seems to be a bigger problem every year. The hedges are protruding further out across the road, especially up high. Local authorities come out some years and cut them 2 m high in a hit-and-miss way. That forces the higher foliage to lie out across the road. The average height of a mirror on our trucks is 3 m. Our trucks' bodies are 4 m plus, and 4.5 m in a lot of cases. First, we must ensure hedges are cut back to a height of at least 4 m or 4.5 m.

Second, given our vantage point from a truck, which is so much higher than a car, if the hedgerows are properly cut, then we can see out over the hedge at a corner. We can see exactly where oncoming vehicles are. At the moment, we are sitting on the edge of our seats because we do not know what is coming around the next corner. We have no idea. We are trying to watch the trees. We are trying to watch our mirrors. We are trying to watch the oncoming traffic. It is a nightmare for people driving on rural roads at present. It is adding to the stress on our drivers. It also adds to the cost of equipment and the running costs.

The Deputy should let me know if there is anything else he wants me to discuss.