Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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All right. There is one thing in your forestry policy guides that probably never came up to the witnesses previously. We are seeing more and more of it, even on plantations, that is, ESB wires. Why is there not a policy set? Would it be fair to say that after 30 years, a spruce tree will grow to 75 ft, probably some of them are around that, or maybe 80 ft? Why is there not a 30 m setback from wires? I know of one part of the country, around Roosky, where for six weeks the power was off and on. It was not the ESB's fault. Trees falling was the problem. Why is ensuring that set-back not part of the Department's policy? There is a requirement to be 10 m or 20 m back from wires but I believe the Department has to re-examine that as part of the overall policy.

On the issue of emissions and the country, Mr. Gleeson stated that agriculture is a net emitter but no hedgerows have been included in what we have done.