Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We accept that Waterways Ireland is a North-South body with two Ministers in charge. The concern was that someone would make orders impeding navigation. I have been assured that will not happen and that under the current legislation, one cannot close a waterway on a permanent basis without the agreement of both Ministers. On that basis, we will certainly not oppose the amendment. I thank the Minister's officials for the detailed discussions we had. It gave us all a better understanding of where we are coming from on this issue. It gave us assurances that the waterways will remain waterways. It is difficult to think now of the time in Ireland when we were closing things all over the place, including waterways and railway lines, that we would love to have back again. We can take it absolutely that it will not happen in the case of these waterways.

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