Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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93. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 124 of 27 September 2017, if Waterways Ireland has studies underway or plans to carry out studies in relation to the feasibility of having some of the Erne waterway from Belturbet to Killykeen and Killeshandra made navigable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3072/18]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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95. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if consideration will be given to having at least some of the stretches of the Erne river system made navigable from Belturbet to Killykeen and Killeshandra; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3073/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 95 together.

As the Deputy will be aware from previous replies to parliamentary questions, there have been a number of studies undertaken since the late 1980's to examine the feasibility of extending the navigation upstream from Belturbet to Lough Oughter and Killeshandra. Based on the results of these studies, and review of the environmental information obtained in the process, Waterways Ireland consider that the environmental designations of this lake complex make the feasibility of the proposed navigation unviable.

I am informed by Waterways Ireland that there are no further plans to carry out feasibility studies in relation to the feasibility of having some of the Erne waterway from Belturbet to Killykeen and Killeshandra made navigable.