David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have a wonderful Jaguar. It is unscarred by hedgerows. I have not once been attacked by a wild hedgerow. Most responsible motorists will slow down when they see the intrusion of vegetation onto the road.

There is one important point quoted by the Minister from the National Parks and Wildlife Service with which I would agree.

There is a problem with road signage and hedgerows. A road sign warning about a dangerous turn, for example, could be obscured by vegetation. One needs only to snip a few feet, however. That should be the responsibility of the local authorities. It is their signage and they should make sure it is visible. It is not the responsibility of farmers.

I remember when this Bill was first produced. It was a blatant sop to the farming community in the run-up to an election. That is why it went unopposed in this House. It was fodder for the farmers buying their votes.

I have been advised by certain lobbyists that there was no mention of the difference between a one-year cut and a three-year cut. The Minister says it is in the regulations. We have to take that on trust as we do not have them. We are dealing with the Bill, which is very clear.

I quoted 37% of our forestation being hedgerow. Senator Ó Domhnaill said 19% was road frontage. There might be a little confusion here. The figure of 19% is more than half of 37%. If one takes a rectangle, one side only will abut the road while the other three sides will not. Mathematically, it could not then possibly be 19%. It must be 19% of the 37%.