Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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771. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of times Waterways Ireland conducted clearing in the Grand Canal through County Offaly to ensure open navigation per annum in the past five years. [6321/19]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Waterways Ireland is the custodian of approximately 1,000 km of navigation located throughout the island of Ireland including the Grand Canal.

One of Waterways Ireland’s strategic objectives is to develop, implement and monitor a planned and effective infrastructure and maintenance works programme.

Waterways Ireland has continued to prioritise the repair/replacement of critical assets through its Capital works programme.

A key part of this programme is the delivery of a planned programme of navigation channel maintenance which includes dredging, removal of obstructing overhead trees, weed control, bank protection and access maintenance.

Waterways Ireland has conducted on-going clearing as part of this programme, which includes dredging and weed cutting, in the Grand Canal through County Offaly, over the past five years, to ensure open navigation.