Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to this House and congratulate him on his very worthy appointment. I am sure that he will do an excellent job.

Today we are discussing legislation that is urgent in so many ways. We saw that last February the then Attorney General wanted to promote the legislation due to an anomaly she saw in the previous Bill. It is important that we move ahead, if we possibly can, and pass this legislation. There are roughly 150 cases pending and waiting on this legislation to be amended. That would be a positive step. I hope we move that step forward this evening in order that the good work being done by Inland Fisheries Ireland can be delivered on the ground. We must consider the work it does on the ground. It has an important role in ensuring that our rivers are protected.

We have had interesting contributions here today.Senator Leyden mentioned something I was not aware of and I am sure the Minister of State will respond. It was a very interesting remark. We have also heard about the issue of the actual ownership of the rivers themselves. The ownership of rivers has been an issue that has been around for an awfully long time. I refer to my previous role in the local authorities where a former county engineer informed Cork County Council that most rivers in County Cork were owned by landowners and that the maintenance of those rivers was their responsibility. This was a huge burden on the landowners. The Cork local authority took the opportunity to inform them that the maintenance was their job. This created unfortunate division between the local authority and the landowners over the potential knock-on effect on the expense of this. There are issues surrounding the management of rivers that need to be clarified so that we know exactly when, where and how we are going with these issues.

Today's piece of legislation is important. It is important that this House move swiftly to ensure that we pass it so that the 150 cases that need to be looked at can be suitably addressed by the courts.