Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to come to the Chamber today for what is a very important Commencement matter for many constituents on the Barrow blueway and the surrounding area. I acknowledge the Government's commitment to delivering for our rural communities. As a native of Rathangan, a lovely rural village in south Kildare, I know only too well how important it is to support the long-term viability of small villages and towns if we want to see them grow and prosper into the future. We can certainly do that through tourism, which is a vital aspect of the rural economy in south Kildare. We have some wonderful amenities, from the Japanese Gardens to the Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park and many others.

One key element of the development of the tourism industry is the development of blueway and greenway infrastructure. As the Minister of State knows, the Barrow blueway will stretch some 46 km, from Lowtown in the Robertstown area through to Athy. It goes through Ballyteague, Rathangan, Monasterevin and Vicarstown. It is really a beautiful part of the county and has tremendous potential for south Kildare. There is no doubt that a fully finished and maintained blueway will open up our area to new markets and opportunities. At the moment, people are using it for recreational sport, cycling, walking, jogging and so on. Fáilte Ireland did some research recently which showed that domestic trips were mainly focused on the outdoors. We want to capitalise on that and attract people to the blueway in Kildare. In a survey of local businesses, as part of a Kildare Leader research paper, two thirds of local businesses surveyed had an element of tourism in their businesses. However, only 20% could sustain this year round. There is a real opportunity here for us. I was very pleased that some weeks ago, under a recent rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, call, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, allocated almost €4 million in funding towards the cost of completing the Barrow blueway project. This will include a pedestrian bridge in Rathangan. I have been liaising with the Minister since the funding shortfall was identified and I am pleased that this funding was extended. The Minister of State can clearly see the benefits of the blueway to the local, national and international economy. The investment from the Government has been significant so we have a duty to protect this asset and investment.

Unfortunately, in recent weeks we have seen disgraceful behaviour on the blueway, especially around lock 20 in Ballyteague. There have been issues of antisocial behaviour over the years but it has now reached a breaking point for residents. I have seen some of the videos related to this. In addition to the general antisocial behaviour, we have seen young people going around the roads and the blueway on quads, scramblers and modified bikes, without tax, insurance or protection. I acknowledge that the law changed yesterday. We hope that it is adhered to. Residents have also complained about tractors being brought on to the lock as well as young people doing burnouts, rallying and having sulkies on the blueway. This is leading to intimidation of residents and is negatively impacting their quality of life. These are long-term residents living along the canal. They deserve to be able to enjoy their area fully and without intimidation.

Outside of that, this area and the wider blueway project has received millions of euro in Government funding and has been worked on by many stakeholders. We have a responsibility to protect that. I ask the Minister of State what can be done to tackle this issue