John Whelan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I sincerely thank the Minister, Deputy Deenihan, for coming to the House for a good constructive debate on the proposed new by-laws for the canals and the proposed corporate development plan of Waterways Ireland. His attendance here is timely because it gives us an opportunity to contribute to the process, rather than discuss it when it is too late and after the horse as bolted, as it were. I commend the Minister on that as we have not been afforded that facility by every Minister.

The Minister, Deputy Deenihan, has shown he is a listening Minister who responds and engages. The vexed issue of turf cutting throughout the country is a good example or template. There were problems and issues, but the Minister met people half way. I appeal to him to do the same today. I welcome the representatives of Waterways Ireland. They are well intentioned and I know their hearts are in the right place. They have done great work with the canals. The canals have been reclaimed from a disastrous situation where many of them were dumping grounds. I also welcome the representatives of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland, led by its president, Carmel Meegan. What I am attempting to do today is to get both sides to meet somewhere in the middle of the water and to parley.

Laws, regulations and rules that are, and are seen to be, unfair, unjust, draconian and harsh will not work. They will not have any public acceptance. I ask the Minister to make a policy intervention and to leave a legacy that he and the Government can be proud of in respect of the management and use of our canals and inland waterways. The inland waterways, and particularly the canals, have been the poor relation in our history with waterways. In 1958, the CIE Act caused devastating damage to the canal system, from which it has never really recovered. It resulted in the tearing up and filling in of the canal network. Imagine the barbarity and vandalism of filling in canals. We will never be able to recover or replace them. The canal spur from the town in which I grew up, Monasterevin, to Portarlington and Mountmellick is filled in and gone forever. All that remains are the ruins of the bridges and the ruins of the warehouses in the harbour in Mountmellick.

These proposed by-laws have the capacity to do the same damage to the canal system, if we do not move away from them. The decision of 1958 did untold damage and resulted in the loss for this country, its heritage and tourism industry of an amenity that can never be recovered, even if we set about trying to create it today. I am not appealing to the Minister solely on behalf of the approximately 100 people who live on their boats, the approximately 700 boat users who navigate the Grand Canal, Royal Canal and Barrow Way or the 2,100 individual submissions made to Waterways Ireland in the short three week time period that was given, but on behalf of the 70 communities across the midlands that rely on and require a vibrant canal network to flourish, so boats can continue to use the canal.

The proposed by-laws will drive boats off the canal. They will deter tourists and others from hiring boats and will deter people from investing in hire companies. They will deter the small businesses that spring up around the canals. In 70 towns and communities across rural Ireland, people are crying out to build and develop a fledgling tourism industry. Where I come from is not as popular as the Minister's native County Kerry in terms of attracting tourists. The area is grasping at the straws of small amenities and facilities to draw people to towns such as Tullamore, Edenderry, Vicarstown, Athy and Monasterevin. I grew up on the canal, with the River Barrow and the famous aquaduct. This issue is near and dear to my heart because I enjoyed many a great day fishing and swimming in the canal and waiting for the barges to arrive down to Moore's Lock.

We must encourage access, not deter it. I accept that the by-laws have not been changed since 1986, but that is not the fault of the boat users or of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland, the people who are keeping the canal alive and flourishing in concert with Waterways Ireland. We should all sing from the same hymn sheet instead of being at odds about this. Is there any walk of life, business or leisure activity that could bear a tenfold increase in charges? Nobody could bear it.

My colleague, Senator John Kelly who, along with me, called for this debate, will deal with the issue of people living on the boats. However, the irony is that in a week that the Government published a plan to tackle homelessness, this policy will put people on the side of the road. One cannot, in one action, catch up with the by-laws after 25 years and at the same time increase charges, levies and fees tenfold. Nobody in their right mind would use the canal. This does not just apply to the navigation but also to the mooring charges, the houseboats and even to the dry dock. If one wishes to take one's barge out to repair and maintain it, the charges that would be accrued over the few months that it would take to repair the boat would, in some instances, cost more that the boat itself is worth. How can that be in the interest of development?

This is not simply a parochial issue, although I have been inundated with representations from Sallins, Robertstown, Tullamore and many other places. As Mr. Gerry Feery of the Ballycommon Canal Renewal Group said in a communication to me, it is not equitable to penalise users of the canals with high charges when they do not exist on other waterways. This is the problem - it will drive people off the canals. One of the submissions received by Waterways Ireland was from the Dutch Barge Association, which states that this policy will restrict access and make the canals less appealing to visitors from Europe. In fact, I believe this would not happen in the UK, Holland or Poland. Those countries would encourage people to use the canals, not deter them by levying fees that are unbearable.

As Senator Norris correctly pointed out, we are not dealing with Monte Carlo. We are dealing with Monasterevin, so let us get grounded on this issue. The people who use the canals are people of frugal means and the services and facilities in many places are Spartan, to say the least.

I commend Waterways Ireland on the work and investment. I genuinely thank the Minister for coming to the House before he signs these draconian proposed by-laws into law. There is still time for common sense to prevail so we can work together to ensure the canals can flourish and thrive into the future. Otherwise, we will do untold damage and that will be to nobody's benefit.