Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)

I welcome biodiversity but I also welcome biodiversity in the right areas and places. I also welcome safety on roads. On biodiversity, the laws that have been passed in this country never took into account people travelling. This is where I have a major issue with some of the laws on wildlife and biodiversity: as regards safety of lives. Roads where two vehicles could once travel are now closing in because of laws made by the local authorities. When they go to do a road, they cut 2 m high and 1 m in. They close the road and do not allow for buses, trucks or people walking who cannot step in when there is a vehicle coming. We need joined-up thinking on biodiversity so we can also have road safety. Now we have vehicles travelling in the middle of the road. They cannot travel on the side because of all the hedgerows growing in together. I would like to see laws introduced in the case of health and safety. All local and regional roads where I live need a 1 m setback and hedges to be cut up straight. There are trees that are a danger to people travelling, walking and living on the road because ash dieback has set into them and they are rotting in the middle. I want to see them taken out for the safety of human life. I welcome biodiversity but I also welcome the health and safety of people travelling on our roads.

If you have wildlife, they should be all off the roadways so you can actually see them. If you want to get into the parks or go across the fields to see them, yes. We need to make sure people can travel the road safety, whether they are cycling, walking, driving, taking their dog for a walk or just going out for leisure. You need to be able to make sure you can step in. You need to be able to make sure that you are not encouraging vehicles to drive in the middle of the road. Let there be biodiversity, wildlife and everything - fantastic - but we must also protect the people who are protecting the wildlife: our sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. Let them travel safely to school, to work, to our front-line services and to our carers. They have to be able to travel the roads safely. We must also respect the biodiversity and wildlife in this country.

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