John Whelan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am not afraid to speak up, unlike Senators opposite who, when their party was in government, went along like sheep. I call on the Leader to invite the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, who should be able to spare us an hour this Thursday or any other Thursday, to come into the Chamber, as Minister responsible for inland waterways, and explain how he proposes to put a stop to what Waterways Ireland is doing. I call on all Senators to intervene to save the Naomh Éanna, the vessel currently in dock at Grand Canal which operated as an Aran Islands ferry from 1956 to 1986. Waterways Ireland's plan is to throw that vessel on the scrap heap even though there is a group of people in this city willing to salvage and restore it at no cost to the taxpayer and thereby preserve an important item of heritage.

More urgently, we must ensure the Minister does not sign into law the new regulations and rules concerning canals. Canals throughout the county are being destroyed because the last few remaining barges and boats are being driven out by a tenfold increase in fees and fines. If the new regulations come into force, there will be no boat or barge left on the canals, with devastating consequences for towns such as Tullamore, Sallins, Athy, Vicarstown and Monasterevin, which rely on the tourism from the canals. They are an important amenity and resource which were run into the ground in the 1960s and 1970s and turned into dumps before undergoing something of a revival in recent times. We must have the Minister in the House to hear the Seanad's view on this matter. These draconian new laws will desecrate an important amenity that we should instead be regenerating in order to build tourism in the midlands.