Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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295. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of boats removed from rivers, canals and inland waterways in each of the years 2016 to 2020, in tabular form; the process involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47676/21]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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The number of boats that were removed by Waterways Ireland from the waterways under its jurisdiction in each of the years 2016 to 2020 inclusive, is set out in the table below.

The Canals Bye Laws 1988 and the Shannon Navigation Bye Laws 1992 provide Waterways Ireland with the powers to remove boats, vessels and other structures that are in breach of the Bye Laws.

The process involves the following steps:

- Waterways Ireland staff place a notice in a prominent position on the boat, vessel or structure;

- A written notice is posted to the owner (in cases where the details of the owner are known to Waterways Ireland);

- Those boats, vessels, structures remaining in breach of the Bye Laws are removed from the waterways and are stored for a minimum of 42 days; and

- Unclaimed boats, vessels and structures are eventually disposed of by public tender.

Waterways Ireland undertook a canals compliance programme in 2020 to remove abandoned, sunken and non-compliant boats, vessels and structures from the canals network.

This programme by the agency has resulted in improved water quality, improved compliance, and removed many unsightly boats, vessels and structures from the waterways.