Ms Dawn Livingstone:

I thank the Deputy for his comments. I assure him that it is not our intention to destroy the use of the canals. These by-laws are in addition to the very extensive set of by-laws introduced in 1988. They contain the provision for anyone to seek the commissioners' permission to stay beyond the five-day rule. The five-day rule has not changed from the old by-laws to the new ones. However, it became clear - from the consultation process - that people see the five days as an issue. This is a matter we will actively look at addressing.

One can portray the worst-case scenario, namely, the figure of €1,600 or that of €2,500 for the Grand Canal dock. However, these charges are specifically designed to provide a choice for people. Those with modest means can pay €126 and use the canal for a year. This is a very modest fee and it is only being increased by €4. Equally, they can choose to opt for an extended mooring. There will be lots of the latter available at a cost of €160. Overall, it is not a huge fee in terms of being able to leave one's boat permanently on a canal and use it for the year. It was noted in some of the earlier presentations that there has been no private inward investment on the canals. One of the reasons for this is that the charges are so low. It was also pointed out that Waterways Ireland is a monopoly which owns all of the canals and that, therefore, there is a public duty on it to ensure that there is a range and choice of options available. The by-laws are designed to future-proof the canals. It is wrong, therefore, to assume that the top charge will be automatically applied.

I assure the Deputy that it is not our intention to make the canals less accessible to people. It was stated in earlier presentations that problems have arisen in respect of 1% of users. Unfortunately, the problem we are trying to address is that boats are clustered in the honey spots such as Lowtown, Sallins and villages where one might wish to dock for an afternoon if one were out cruising in one's boat. One might want to visit such locations and spend some money or have a drink or a meal there. The locations to which I refer are not accessible as a result of the number of boats clustered there. That is why we are engaged in the process of introducing permits. We are very much supporting people who tour the Green and Silver route. Those who use the canals at present will be aware that they can leave their boats for extended periods. It is only a matter of letting us know what they are doing. It is a small system and our lock-keepers know the identities of those who are making journeys. Boats are not left just for five days, they are often left for two or three weeks. We know this because people have gone home and made phone calls. What we are asking is that people should not leave their boats in prime locations. They should move their boats to moorings and leave the central locations free for touring traffic. That is what we are trying to encourage and hence the introduction of the visitor permit. The latter will encourage people to come onto the canals and, as a result, more boats will use them. We are trying to facilitate that movement of traffic.

I thank the Deputy for his comments.