David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House again. I point out that the last time this Bill was presented by the Minister I was the only person in the House to put forward any opposition to it. I could not even get a Member to stand as a teller or to be a seconder. It is marvellous that we have this new group of people. The Labour Party has changed its stance on this measure as well. There is a possibility that we will get some of these amendments through today. There is a significant change in the political context of this House which makes it much more likely that this silly series of legislative proposals should be attacked. They were introduced for political purposes in the run up to an election to get the farmers' vote. That is why Fianna Fáil was very delicate. Its members could not come out against it because they did not want to lose the farmers' vote.

My name should have been at the bottom of all these amendments but there was a mix up even thought I indicated that I would put my name to them, but it does not matter and it does not prevent me from speaking on them.

One of the issues in this context that the Minister made great hay with, to use a metaphor that is surely appropriate, was the danger to life and limb on the roads. This situation is fairly unusual because if a hedgerow is maintained properly and cut every year when the opportunity arises, it is very unlikely there will be such an enormous growth that the road will be blocked. There maybe a little overhang of the hedge but nothing very much. It would only be in a few cases that this would occur. It seems the Roads Acts is the legislation within which to deal with this. The business about burning, grubbing up and cutting the hedgerows was all introduced willy-nilly by the Minister. Therefore, I am very happy to support this amendment.