Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

There are 70 large-scale developments along the Shannon and, apart from that, there is that point raised by Deputy McAuliffe. It is a very unequal situation if there are legitimate operators along the Shannon who are within the system and doing everything right and there are operations on the Shannon that are not and can operate without being accountable for anything. This is on Waterways Ireland's amenity. This is like allowing somebody into your field to do the house while you are on holidays and, when you come back, there is a house built and they say, "Sorry, we are just here. We are here anyway and we will work out the planning permission and a ground rent for it afterwards", or a lease agreement for the plot of land or something like that.

I understand it is inherited situations and developments. I understand the difficulty of it and that there is a big network of waterways. I do not want to describe the Shannon as being the most important one. I would count the Ulster Canal as very important and I would obviously count the Grand Canal, because it flows through County Laois, as being very important, but this is a huge waterway. It has huge tourism potential and the number of boats on it and usage of it has reduced in recent years for various reasons, but to allow a situation to develop where this kind of operation happens without there being any agreement or even one page of a memorandum of understanding, a lease, a permit or a licence is unbelievable. I would say from a public accounts point of view that this needs to stop. I will certainly make the recommendation, with the committee's agreement, I hope, that this matter be dealt with as quickly as possible. Does Ms Megahey want to add anything else?