Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 December 2023
173. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for Transport his plans to enable the safe removal of diseased roadside ash trees from land owned by farmers who cannot pay private contractors for the safe removal of such trees; if he will consider the removal of such roadside trees a road safety priority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53646/23]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the operation and management of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. This is also subject to the Public Spending Code and the necessary statutory approvals.
Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993 sets out the responsibility of landowners to take all reasonable steps to ensure that trees, hedges and other vegetation growing on their land are not, or could not become, a danger to people using a public road or interfere with the safe use of a public road or the maintenance of a public road. This responsibility includes the 'the preservation, felling, cutting, lopping, trimming or removal of such tree, shrub, hedge or other vegetation' in question.
As such, the implementation of the legislation and the management of hedge cutting operations is a matter for local authorities and landowners. My Department has no plans to grant-aid the cutting or removal of trees infected with ash dieback.
