Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The next item on the agenda is consideration of public petitions. We have six petitions for consideration today: P00009/21 and P000023/21, P000018/21, P000019/21, P000034/21 and P000037/21. Summary notes and replies from Departments and other bodies were circulated to members. Is it agreed that the petitions considered by the committee at this meeting and at the previous meeting be published? Is it agreed that the replies from Departments and other bodies be published? Agreed.

The first two petitions are P00009/21 and P000023/21 and they are being taken together. They were submitted by Mr. Michael Barrett and Mr. Jamie Forde Kelly and pertain to the unauthorised development on the River Shannon. The updated recommendation as of 19 November 2021 is that, first, the Joint Committee on Public Petitions invite the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and Westmeath County Council to appear before the committee to discuss the matter, second, the petitioners be invited before the committee to discuss the matter and, third, on reviewing the files, it appears that Waterways Ireland has a major role in licensing marinas and should also be invited in. Do members have any views on this? I call Deputy Buckley.