Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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276. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her attention has been drawn to the fact that Waterways Ireland has introduced a new set of permits blocking persons living aboard their boats from continuing to do so; her plans to increase the number of mooring points for houseboats on the Dublin canals and basins; and the reason canal dwellers are being removed from their homes. [28254/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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A regulatory system for boating on the Grand & Royal Canals and Barrow Navigation has been in place since November 2012 to ensure the investment in amenities and infrastructure along all three navigations is accessible to all boaters. Waterways Ireland introduced the current regulatory system in order to provide a mechanism by which the canal navigations would be available for all users in an equitable manner.

Since 2012 demand for long term berths has, however, outstripped supply at some locations, with a resultant impact that the infrastructure at these locations is not available to all those who wish to avail of those specific berths. The current system is also difficult to manage in ensuring that all vessels have appropriate and up-to-date permits. This is an important aspect of the regulatory system in providing a controlled environment so that our navigations can be open and utilised by all.

The Grand Canal Basin in Dublin is a much sought after location for long term mooring. Many vessels have come into the city centre location and have refused to leave. There are 55 berths in the inner basin of Grand Canal Dock.

Following a recent review of permitting, Waterways Ireland have decided to allocate 20 berths as Primarily Non-Residential Extended Mooring Permits which will allow owners to berth their vessel in a specified location, but they may stay on-board in Grand Canal Dock for a maximum of 90 nights in a 12 month period. The remaining 10 moorings have been allocated to visiting vessels who wish to moor in the dock for less than 5 days.

In June 2017 all boat owners currently moored in Grand Canal Dock were requested to indicate their preference for a Residential Extended Mooring Permit or a Primarily Non-Residential Extended Mooring Permit. The demand outweighed the supply for the Residential Extended Mooring Permits and Waterways Ireland applied the criteria noted in Section 3 to allocate these berths. Those who were unsuccessful in being offered a Residential Extended Mooring Permit were offered Primarily Non-Residential Extended Mooring Permits, if all other criteria were met.

Waterways Ireland only has planning permission for 20 houseboat/Residential moorings. Any permanent residential activity in excess of those 20 berths is in contravention of the 2013 planning approval.

Waterways Ireland have been in continuous communication with boat owners in Grand Canal Dock regarding the review and has provided boat owners with ample opportunity to make alternative arrangements should the decision to grant a Residential Extended Mooring Permit or a Primarily Non-Residential Extended Mooring Permit not be acceptable to them.