Mr. T. J. Fleming:

Deputy Bannon referred to the possibility of the rural social scheme co-ordinating work on the canals with Waterways Ireland and the Office of Public Works. There is nothing preventing this type of work from being undertaken. The manner in which this could be done is largely related to the current commitments by the company which manages the resources scheme in County Longford or along the Royal Canal. We had discussions recently with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government on issues such as concentrating on rural recreation, supporting the development of upland walkways and trails and using the resources available under Tús or the rural social scheme to support plans in that area. Ideally, the Department would like such plans to be developed locally under the auspices of the agencies with responsibility for this matter. The Department could then bring the labour content to any such plans. While it is not the Department's responsibility to set out plans in respect of heritage sites or issues such as the restoration of the canal network, we would be open to encouraging such initiatives. Our rules clearly set out that in developing work plans the local development companies should consult State agencies operating in the relevant area to identify priorities in terms of areas where they wish development to take place. At the same time, however, we must avoid displacement of the permanent staff of the Office of Public Works or Waterways Ireland. The schemes must work in a complementary fashion.