Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the commitment to come back and talk to us about this. I also welcome the fact that Waterways Ireland is committed to further developing our inland waterways. Those in County Kildare know the importance of the River Barrow, the River Liffey, the Grand Canal and the Royal Canal. I welcome the fact that the current proposals include proper concessions for tourists who use waterways. It is intolerable that indigenous users of the waterways will be penalised in the way Waterways Ireland proposes. The structure and the scale of the fee increases envisaged will render the whole project untenable. Indigenous users will be taken off the waterways. It is not the objective of the Minister, nor is it the objective of Members. We must do something about it quickly.

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