Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The reality is that they are not being cut. Contractors and farmers are afraid to cut them because they will be photographed with mobile phones and reported. It is nonsense. There are signs covered everywhere I go in my county. I refer to signs which indicate the way to particular places, speed limits and that there are dangerous bends ahead. Access to and egress from fields forces the implements on the fronts of tractors out into the middle of the road. It is highly dangerous. It just shows that the Minister is out of touch and does not understand the reality of rural Ireland. I invite her to visit any part of Tipperary. I will show her countless signs, including those indicating national monuments, which are covered up. It is farcical. The county council is strapped for cash and uses a great excuse - it is not allowed to cut them. Health and safety or road safety can go to hell. That is the reality on the ground. The hedges are not being cut. They were always cut by county councils, but that is not being done now. There are accidents and people get scratched and scraped. We encourage cyclists, but people could not cycle on these roads without some kind of protective gear. One would need a helmet to go up and down some roads. That is the reality. The Minister should know. She visits Tipperary the odd time. She has some relatives there. It is no different to any other county. This is patent nonsense. It is literally usurping the power of this House to make legislation, which it did. What is the point of debating here and consulting all the stakeholders? We were at it for a year and a half and the Minister just decided to draw a red line through it and forget about it. In my view, that is a subversion of democracy any day of the week.

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