Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

We all agree that management of the waterways is important and a big part of that is having clear by-laws to improve them and assist in their management. It is an environmentally sensitive issue that also relates to people's homes. We get a lot of visitors. For people living along the canals, there is obviously concern when something about their living arrangements is going to change. I hope that a lot of the consultation that has gone on has shone light on that for people. I do not have any canals in my constituency so it is not constituents of mine with whom I have been dealing. However, I have been dealing with people in other constituencies and the overarching request is that any change is fair, equitable and proportionate.

We often talk about tourism potential. We should design our spaces and places for the people who live there for 52 weeks per year. When we do that, we naturally attract tourists. I heard representatives of Fáilte Ireland say that at the planning conference a few years ago. When we design for the people who live somewhere, we naturally attract people who want to visit. That should be overarching. The people who live there come first and the visitors follow afterwards.

I am confused about many of these costs. It would be helpful if Waterways Ireland could produce a list of the current charges that exist. Those are the charges that people pay today. In columns beside it, the witnesses could provide a list of the charges that were proposed in the first draft and the charges that are being proposed in this round. They referenced that some charges might be revisited. I also ask them to include what new charges are being brought in. That would be helpful for the information of the committee.

A €200 registration fee is being proposed. That fee does not exist at the moment. Is that correct?