Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Waterways Ireland is responsible for the management, maintenance, development and restoration of some 1,000 km of navigable inland waterways principally for recreational purposes. Waterways Ireland manages and maintains the navigation on the River Erne in County Cavan as part of the Shannon–Erne Waterway. Waterways Ireland public jetties are provided in both Belturbet and Kilconny - Deputy Smith should forgive me if I mispronounce the name - and the navigation channel is provided with navigation markers and signage, as and where required. The upper limit of the managed navigation on the River Erne is currently just below Erne Bridge between Belturbet and Kilconny.

While there is no specific legal obligation on Waterways Ireland to deliver a navigation plan for the Lough Oughter complex, the preparation of a draft navigation plan was initiated in line with the organisation's overall recreational remit in 2008. Waterways Ireland initiated a strategic environmental assessment, SEA, of this draft plan to establish a new navigation on Lough Oughter from Belturbet to Killashandra.

The SEA process indicated that considerable environmental and hydrological assessment would be required to complete any proposed Lough Oughter navigation plan. The expenditure necessary to carry out this work is estimated to be in the region of €300,000 and the result is likely to confirm the initial assessment that significant environmental impact will occur to the designated Lough Oughter habitat and a works project would not be permitted under current environmental regulations.

There may however be potential in the waters of the Lough Oughter area being promoted as a distinct blueway. While I understand from Waterways Ireland that it has no plans to develop a blueway in Lough Oughter, Blueways Ireland, a group that includes the National Trails Office, Canoeing Ireland and a range of other State bodies which is involved in, or with an interest in the development of blueways is currently considering the establishment of blueways beyond the Waterways Ireland network of inland waterways.

To that end Waterways Ireland has met with the chief executive of Cavan County Council, council officials and elected representatives concerning blueways developed successfully on the Waterways Ireland network to advise on possible ways forward. Waterways Ireland is happy to support Cavan County Council with advice should it decide to develop a blueway on the River Erne from Belturbet to Killykeen and Killashandra.

See this speech in context