Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The first thing I would say is that last year we spent €15.338 million on channel clearing, some €5 million of which was spent on the tributaries coming into the River Shannon. We have spent money on the River Boyne, the River Glyde in Monaghan, the River Inny, the River Brosna, the Broadmeadow River, the River Corrib, the River Moy, in Donegal - the Deputy is gone but we did spend money there - on the Boyle River, the River Bonnet, the River Feale, the River Maine, the River Deel, Shannon embankments - the River Maigue, Shannon embankments - north and south, the Mulkear River, the Groody River, and in Killimer, Nenagh River, and Dunmanway. Ongoing maintenance has been done year on year in all of these areas, where we have a legal responsibility. In other areas, the local authorities have responsibility. In some areas, the responsibility is with the repairing owners. We have prepared some information for the repairing owners on how they can deal with their areas.

I know what the Deputy is thinking, which is that there are those who say that this is all about channel maintenance. However, what we are doing on the River Shannon at the moment is unprecedented. Waterways Ireland and the OPW, in consultation with the National Parks and Wildlife Service have machines clearing areas down in Madden Island and up again on the Shannon above, in Carrick on Shannon and in Mountcampbell. Both sides, between Leitrim County Council and Roscommon County Council, are working together.

What we are doing within the Shannon Group is to prepare a template that we will be able to replicate in other areas where we have difficulties with channel clearing. We are preparing that at the moment. When carrying out channel clearing, we are working in SACs most of the time so we have to be very sensitive to what we do. We are working on that.