Mr. John Dolan:

I thank the Acting Chairman and the committee for inviting us here today. The Inland Waterways Association of Ireland represents more than 3,000 enthusiastic members, with 22 branches across the island of Ireland. The association was founded in 1954 as a voluntary body to campaign for the future of the Shannon navigation. In the 1960s, the IWAI campaigned to prevent the Grand Canal in Dublin city from being turned into sewerage infrastructure. Fifty years later, we are once again campaigning to save the canals and the River Barrow system in terms of their navigation potential.

We regrettably advise that the proposed amendments to the canal by-laws do not put user requirements, local communities or tourism at the centre of the regulations. Two issues in particular should be noted. First, unlike the other navigation systems, the canals and Barrow navigations have no private mooring provisions or service providers. Waterways Ireland is a monopoly and there is no choice for boaters. Second, the canals are effectively linear waterways with specific issues and challenges such as low water levels, weed issues, and obstructions underwater and in locks. Travel on the canals tends to involve lengthy tours of duty, so to speak, rather than short cruises. This travel is typically done on weekends over a period of months, such as the trips on the green and silver route promoted by Dublin IWAI. The proposed canal by-law amendments are not compatible with current boating practices on the canals, being more reflective of boating practices on the River Shannon and lakes. They do not take into account the difficulties and challenges of canal boating.

The Royal and Grand canals and the Barrow navigation system are a magnificent marriage of nature and early engineering feats. They are beautiful picturesque navigations which wind their way through wooded valleys, peatlands, villages, townlands, larger towns and our capital city. They link the island's navigation systems to the north, south, east and west, as members will see from the chart in our submission, including the rivers Shannon, Erne, Liffey, Suir and Nore, all of which are accessible by boat through the canals and the Barrow river. There is a particular joy and magic to be found in canal travel, the slow pace of which is reflected by a speed limit of 4 mph. People on land move faster than the canal boats on the system. One can experience a sense of serenity, discovery, nature and the magic of a night under the stars while being only a few locks away from the big city and bright lights. Unfortunately, however, there is sometimes a different type of adventure to be had along the way, with some locations targeted for unsocial behaviour and boat users sometimes delayed for hours trying to remove obstructions from the canal or from the props on their boat. It is not all plain sailing.

Our submission outlines in detail our concerns regarding the proposed by-laws. These concerns relate to the downgrading of the original combined mooring and passage permit, the five-day rule changes, the absence of a specific winter mooring provision similar to that which applies on the Shannon, the lack of selection criteria or consultation on extended mooring, house boat management issues, dry dock tolls and proposed penalties of €150 per day. The Grand Canal, Royal Canal and River Barrow navigations stretch to a combined length of 336 km. The length of the waterways affected by the issues that have been highlighted is a couple of kilometres, or less than 1% of the total navigation. By-laws that would be detrimental to 99% of the route are being introduced to address issues affecting less than 1% of the system.

While aspects of the by-laws on their own might seem reasonable, they impose a huge burden and risk collectively, with no evidence presented publicly as to what risk analysis has been done in regard to the proposals or why only one user group is being targeted for payment. The proposed by-law approach is akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut without taking into account the mess that will be left behind. IWAI has a long history of working with various statutory bodies, including Waterways Ireland, and we appeal to the regulators to heed the voices of boat users, which are clamouring to be heard, along with those of communities and international organisations. Waterways Ireland received more than 2,000 submissions in a consultation period that lasted only 21 days.

Other users of the waterways are to be welcomed, including bikers, hikers, anglers and paddlers, but never at the expense of the lifeblood of the navigations, namely, the vessels that keep the waterways open. Irish boaters, communities and occasional visitors have helped to keep these navigations active and open. It is time now to expose them for national and international tourism. With appropriate promotion, management and community engagement, they can be a vibrant recreational resource for the 21st century, linking waterways tourism with invaluable industrial, archaeological and environmental legacies. The Grand Canal, Royal Canal and Barrow navigations can be a world-class branded waterway route similar to the Lakes of Killarney, the Norfolk Broads, the Four Counties Ring in England and the lakes of Canada. For that to happen, the canals and Barrow navigations need proper by-laws that put user requirements, local communities and tourism at the centre of the regulations. They must not be suffocated by excessive and poorly written regulation.