Mr. Éanna Rowe:

I will take that. We have 650 registered boats on the canals, and the vast majority are static, as the Deputy said. The movement of boats occurs through organised rallies, particularly those of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland and the Royal Canal Amenity Group. At these, perhaps 15 to 30 boats travel at a time. Bed manipulation, as we call it, or bed movement would certainly help to reduce weed growth, although it does not eradicate it. In the next couple of years, we will be trying to create destinations along canals where visiting boats can stay. There are two elements to creating those destinations. One involves by-laws and enforcement, such that people may stay for only five days at one location, as is the case on the Shannon, and the second involves the investment that follows so we can attract people to places like Vicarstown, Tullamore or Mullingar in order to have boat movement.

As I said, there are 650 registered boats on the canals, and we have 9,000 boats on the Shannon. We want to attract some of the boats from the Shannon to the canals. It is a wonderful experience. The canals are unique and sensitive ecologically but they give a different perspective on the island.