Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome everyone. I have long admired the work of Waterways Ireland. It is one of the few bodies established under the North-South agreement. As the chief executive said, waters have no boundaries. Reference was made to 2,000 submissions. They are not on the Waterways Ireland website. Will they be put up for the public to view?

All the organisations are doing good work. There is a great deal of misinformation and misunderstanding on charges in particular. I watched the programme on RTE to which Deputy James Bannon referred and saw a woman in Clondalkin who lived on a houseboat for 30 years. She was fearful that it was the end and that she would not be able to afford a fee of €3,500. Waterways Ireland has indicated today that there will not be exorbitant fees and that houseboats will survive. There is an urgent need for clarification on what Waterways Ireland is proposing. While recognising the work the bodies presenting today are doing, 99% of the people will be affected. There is only 1% of the people who should be affected, which is a consideration. John Dolan used the expression, "using a sledge hammer to crack a nut", which is what we do not want to do. I was on a local authority dealing with by-laws and recognise that they have to change and move with the times. Obviously, charges have to change and move with the times, but not to an exorbitant or prohibitive extent. One of the best facilities Ireland has is the canal network. I envy everyone who can get into a boat and enjoy it. It should be facilitated in every possible way.

When I was a member of South Dublin County Council, I raised the issue of planning laws. While it has changed now, planning laws always turned their backs on the canals and failed to utilise their beauty and the facilities they offered. It is only in recent years that planners have looked towards the canals to see the beauty that exists. We want to ensure that is maintained, which is what the bodies are doing. One of Waterways Ireland's own proposals in the planning context was that the beauty of the canals would be utilised.

We need more information on the pricing structure and on who will be affected, what they will be affected by, when they will be affected and where they will be affected. The debate will not finish today. The consultation process is ongoing. It has been put to me that a very short time period has been allowed for consultation, but I congratulate the boat owners. We would be doing very well if we got 2,000 submissions in 20 days in any public consultation. Obviously, boat owners are very exercised. When I see that number of submissions from the public, I say to myself that something is wrong here. I have the question of 99% versus 1% in my head.

The representatives of the Heritage Boat Association said that the consideration has not taken into account local communities and tourism. I would be fearful if that is true. My dealings in the past with Waterways Ireland have given me an impression. The box on the docks facility is a brilliant visitors' centre. It is closed at the moment for the season but everyone should visit it, including the committee members. It is only ten minutes walk away. It gives a brilliant picture of the work Waterways Ireland does and should be promoted among schoolchildren to ensure they get a love of their heritage.

It appears the five day rule is not going to be as onerous as I had interpreted. Someone said that if he had to get back to his boat in that time, he would not bring out his boat at all as the turnaround period is too short. Despite this, Waterways Ireland says a person can contact the body. Are there exceptions to the rule? If there are, we should know about them. The interpretation of many is that the five day rule is sacrosanct and, as such, not workable for many.

The Liffey transit charge is one we will have to look at. Is there an unfairness if it is free to go over the Liffey but there is a charge to go under it? Is there an unfairness on traffic? If we were using boating to go up and down the Liffey to alleviate pollution, we would be better off. I am not sure what Mr. Roche was seeking in terms of a derogation for heritage boats. Is it a free-for-all derogation for heritage boats?

The process of implementation is important. I am fearful that proposals will be implemented without further recommendations. Can the process to change and implement the by-laws be outlined? It would alleviate worry to say that we will have another day to come back. Mr. Roche said that he had experienced co-operation from Waterways Ireland on submissions he had made and he that he looked forward to changes.

That is what consultation is about and that is what we are about at this meeting. I have many questions but I do not have sufficient time. I hope I will have an opportunity on another occasion.