Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My constituency is Kildare North and both the Royal Canal and Grand Canal flow through it. I am familiar with Hazelhatch and Sallins, in particular. Sallins is the obvious location in the context of the number of boats moored there almost constantly. I am less concerned about the numbers and more about the principle, which is the key issue. The one-size-fits-all approach will not work. The craft and people who use the River Shannon are vastly different from those on the canals. It is a fair point that people may well have made different decisions in their lives if they thought that they would end up paying large sums annually for the lifestyle they have chosen. I acknowledge it has not been regulated or the regulations have not been enforced, but the ability of people to pay for berths must be considered where this is their chosen lifestyle.

The reason we were keen to have dialogue with the various groups early in the process is that a tight timeframe is envisaged regarding the introduction of the by-laws. Will that be relaxed to give time for further consideration?

Another fair point was also made that the only recourse open to people appears to be the courts. Will the witnesses comment on this? It is unfair given the courts are generally not accessible, particularly by people with limited means. The introduction of an appeals mechanism would be useful.

The by-laws will impact more heavily on a small number of people. I went out on the Royal Canal with members of the Royal Canal Amenity Group between Leixlip and Maynooth and one of their main criticisms was the inability to navigate that section of the canal because of the weeds, etc. that grow when there is not constant traffic on the canal. This section does not generate the same traffic as sections of the Grand Canal.

Many groups that have contacted members to say the proposed by-laws do not put the user requirements centre stage. We have heard some practical difficulties relating to the five day rule. While we will not resolve the issue this afternoon, is there a willingness to extend the timeframe to consider this because the rule will cause most difficulty?

An annual fee of €3,500 and ability to pay is a reasonable issue to raise where people do not have an alternative. Will Waterways Ireland consider examining this again?