Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am conscious of the time, but for the benefit of Waterways Ireland, I will crystalise the three points I would like it to take away from today. I would have started as vehemently opposed to these bylaws. I see significant progress has been made, but I have three asks to bring me on board. First, I need serious consideration to be given to the proposal outlined on the €100 charge and what I would call a pay-as-you-go charge for the guy who might access four, five or six locks a year or who might do it twice a year if the weather is good. We need a mechanism like that. The second is on dispute resolution and third is on the cross-Border component of this. I need assurance and safeguards that it is not in defiance or conflict with what we achieved in the Good Friday Agreement and that we will have parity for users North and South and there will be no disincentive for a boat user in the North or in the South to go across this new financial border. Those are the three asks. If Waterways Ireland could come back to the committee with a submission with significant detail on those, I would be considerably happier. I thank the Chair for indulging me.