Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I agree with what Senator Norris said about the wildlife section of the Bill, but I would emphasise its other two parts, namely, canals and the Heritage Council. We have our Minister, Minister Carál Ní Chuilín who will look after the same activities in Northern Ireland, and Dawn Livingstone who is the chief executive of Waterways Ireland. Gender balance has been extremely well achieved.

I will discuss some of the sections that concern me. Section 4(c) refers to the closing to navigation of any part of the canals and section 4(g) to the opening to navigation of any parts of the canals. I would put more emphasis on another part of the section. There are proposals to extend the Ulster Canal to the scout camp near Belturbet. I am sure the people of Clones agitate with the Minister to restore the canal.

Canals are linear parks and people like Dr. Ian Bath promoted that idea as the goal. They are not just for the boat people the Minister for State mentioned. They are a wider amenity. From reading the documentation, I understand Waterways Ireland costs about £50 million sterling a year and a large part of the emphasis seems to involve trying to bring in some money from boat users. Perhaps we should consider them in a wider context, not just Belturbet, Clones and so on, but places such as Klibeggan, Mountmellick and the Newry Canal.

The Northern Ireland report on waterways and their success notes that the Lagan towpath is visited by 1 million people a year. It is one of the most visited amenities. Some positive changes might be considered..

I refer to the property section and the representations made by the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland. It is concerned about authorised officers and people for whom boats are houses. The relevant section of the Bill states that authorised officers will need a search warrant to come into the part of the boat which is the residence, but how will we deal with situations where an entire vessel is a residence? There are concerns about that. A boat may not simply involve part of a very private dwelling; rather, the entire vessel could be a private dwelling. There is a need for communication on the concerns of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland about the powers of the authorised officers. I gather it would prefer to deal with An Garda Síochána and further consultation. It regards 21 days as insufficient and wishes to see the period extended to 60 days.

The canal system is capable of significant development right through to Lough Neagh. The Newry canal and what is being done in Belfast were mentioned. We need to develop a better connection between the Royal Canal and Dublin Port, something that is referred to in the strategic plan for Waterways Ireland. Perhaps there could be Grand Canal access to the River Liffey. I see that in a very positive light.

The Bill is somewhat dismissive of what the Heritage Council has done. I understand half of the members, or at least a substantial number, take no fee at all, and if they do it would be a sum of €5,000. Making a gesture by taking away a relatively small fee and reducing the board from 14 to eight members seems to be a case of somebody somewhere wanting to teach the Heritage Council a lesson. It does valuable work and I am in favour of giving people a pat on the back and commending them.

The Bill proposes to delete the section that the council shall establish standing committees on wildlife, archaeology, architectural heritage and inland waterways and that it could have members which are not members of the council on those standing committees. I do not why we do not cherish the Heritage Council more. I see no great problem in the establishment of such sub-committees.

The work the Heritage Council has done in Kilkenny and increasing the appreciation of heritage and how it relates to educational bodies are things which I would broadly support. Its funding is being cut unnecessarily. I thank the Cathaoirleach for the extra time. I wish the Minister success in her endeavours in canals, wildlife and the work of the Heritage Council.