Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)

It would be remiss of me, particularly given my former role - and this is not in any way to remove my impartiality - not to mention the debate on hedge cutting as referenced by both the Minister of State and Deputy Fitzmaurice. The six-month rule is there. There is also the provision for hedge cutting to be requested at the council level where there is a danger. I do not know of any instance where it is not granted. However, this week five young people have been killed - and I am not making any statement regarding the circumstances of those deaths – needless to say, on our roads. The bigger provision with regard to hedge cutting is that every council in the country is only paying for two swards. The height of the mirror on a standard HGV or bus carrying schoolchildren or passengers, which we are trying to encourage, is approximately double that. That is what needs to be considered within the time period of the six months where hedge cutting is allowed. If we are to be serious about tackling the issue of saving lives on our roads, we need to review that.

It is not an issue for Wexford County Council because it seems to be able to buck the trend and we have infrastructure where it goes above that. Primarily it comes down to money, and no amount of money will save lives unless we use it wisely. I thank everybody for their contributions.

See this speech in context