Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

What I am saying is the Minister has said there is no intention to do so and perhaps that is the situation, but she also said we would not have to change the by-law because it already allowed for heritage boats. We seek to insert this amendment to protect against anybody who would change the by-law to make it more restrictive. We are seeking to guard against something a lot of us have seen in our political lives - unforeseen changes in policy. I do not understand why the amendment cannot be accepted. It would only reinforce that we maintain the status quo. It would not be a burden on anybody, but it would stop an unforeseen change of policy that would restrict navigation to narrower boats and boats of a smaller draft. The Minister has made a good case for my amendment.

On the second amendment, what we need to guard against is someone deciding at some stage that maintaining all navigations is too expensive and that there are other things we could do with the money. The Minister is probably not aware that there was once a plan to close the Grand Canal in Dublin and build a road over it. That is unlikely to happen now in the city, but it could happen somewhere else, particularly in rural areas, where we are often told things are too expensive. The Minister is telling us that it will not happen. Therefore, if she were to accept the amendment, it would not impede anything she intends to do, but it would stop some other Minister in the future who might not be as enlightened as her from closing a canal with the excuse that it could no longer be afforded. Those of us who live in very rural areas are used to being told that things are expensive, not affordable, that not enough people are using them and that there is not enough demand for them. Neither of the amendments would impede the current policy of Waterways Ireland, rather they would reinforce it by stating it was the policy, that it would remain the policy and that there would be no change to it. The Minister has laid to rest any worry that they would have unforeseen consequences. She is actually saying they would only put into law what was the absolute clear and unequivocal policy, as of today, of both the Minister and Waterways Ireland.