Mr. Jerry Gleeson:

Another point I would like to raise on the number of houseboats on the canals and the Barrow - Mr. Rowe said it might be above 100 - is that we believe we probably have the best figures for that and it is closer to 200. We estimate that is more than 250 people, including schoolgoing children, retired people, disabled people. It is the whole gamut of normal society who are living on boats. The idea that there is some issue with the canals being constricted is laughable. They are completely empty. There are a few spots at Hazelhatch, Sallins and Lowtown where one has to slow down one's boat for two and a half minutes, three minutes, or four minutes to get through and then one is out into empty space. Once one leaves Lowtown, one does not see a boat until one reaches Shannon Harbour. When one leaves Lowtown on the Barrow line, one does not see boats until one reaches Graiguenamanagh.