John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I am grateful to the Chair for giving me the opportunity to raise what is a very important issue for my constituents especially and, indeed, anyone who cares about the environment. The mission statement of Waterways Ireland reads as follows:

Waterways Ireland is the guardian of Ireland's inland navigations. Our mission is to provide a high quality recreational environment on waterways in our care for the benefit of all . . . . . The inland waterways have intrinsic value as areas of ecological, archaeological, architectural, engineering and historic value. Their size and geographical extent within Ireland are of regional and international significance.

As a consequence, Waterways Ireland says it wants to manage them "in an environmentally sustainable way". These are lofty and laudable aspirations but do they match the reality? I am afraid they do not. The sections of the Grand Canal and Grand Canal basin in my constituency are in a poor state. They have been the subject of numerous complaints to my office. So frustrated are many of my constituents with the state of the canal that they have taken matters into their own hands by trying to clean it up themselves. I have assisted them on a number of occasions but in such a rich country — the second richest in the European Union, if we are to believe statistics — we should not have to undertake this sort of work, which is the duty of Waterways Ireland.

I urge the Minister to venture not far from his offices and take a walk along the canal towards Portobello. He can look at the shopping trolleys, traffic cones, beer cans, bottles and bin liners. Does the Minister think this is acceptable? He should walk towards Baggot Street, where he could observe people outside The Barge pub enjoying themselves. The canal is a wonderful amenity in our city, so often celebrated by one of our greatest poets, Patrick Kavanagh. Further along, close to Huband Bridge, local residents have for years looked for a new lamp stand. If one carries on along the canal, one would come to the Canal Basin and the Grand Canal Dock. Following pressure from me, a major clean-up was carried out there on 30 May last but it should never have come to that. I have photographs which show the appalling state the canal had fallen into.

Staff in Waterways Ireland have told me off the record that there are very serious funding issues in this regard. Last year, €7.75 million was spent on the cleaning of the canals. To date this year, only €2.88 million has been spent. More money is needed and more staff are required. My sources tell me that staff spend much of the summertime clearing out and cutting weeds, which is very time consuming, and that the amount of litter increases in the summertime. What is needed is greater investment and a dedicated core staff. I would go so far as to suggest we require dedicated canal wardens, which would be the best way forward.

There is no question but that the canal is a fantastic amenity. I recently visited County Kildare, where I swam in the canal, which is fantastic in that area. I would like to have a situation where we can swim in the canal in Dublin. We must clean it up. I have visited German cities where the canals are fantastic. That is the vision I have for the canal in Dublin and for my constituents. They will be grateful if the Minister of State can provide positive news.

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