Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Much of that is in your opening statement.

I am from Longford and live on the banks of the River Shannon. There is a concern locally that this is a land grab. Waterways Ireland owns the canals but it does not own the River Shannon. I refer to the KPMG report which set out that efforts should be made to monetise the River Shannon. There is a concern that is what is the intended consequence of this. These proposed by-laws come at a time when Waterways Ireland does not have a board of directors or a customer charter and there is no dispute resolution system other than the courts. In all likelihood, were these by-laws to be implemented, it would be a quagmire. Someone would take a challenge to the courts. It would drag on for years and never be implemented. Has Waterways Ireland fully thought through the ramifications of its plans?