Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 March 2004
210 Mr. Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if local authorities are responsible for the road network in the first instance; if they are then responsible for the cutting of the hedges on the roadside; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10246/04]
View answerUnder section 13 of the Roads Act 1993 road authorities are responsible for the maintenance and construction of non-national roads.
Section 70 of the Act obliges landowners and occupiers of land to take all reasonable care to ensure that hedges growing on their land are not, or could not become, a danger to people using or working on a public road. If a hedge is, or could become, a danger to those using or working on a public road, a road authority may serve a written notice on the owner or occupier of the land requiring action to be taken in order to remove the danger or potential danger. The road authority may also carry out the works itself if the person on whom the notice was served fails to comply with it or may carry out any other works which it considers necessary. If the road authority considers that a hedge presents an immediate and serious hazard to road users, it may take immediate action to reduce or remove the hazard without issuing a notice to the landowner or occupier of land. In either case where the authority carries out the work, the authority may recover the costs from the owner or occupier of the land.
