Results 461-480 of 1,043,795 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Marian Harkin OR speaker:Catherine Murphy OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh OR speaker:Ivana Bacik)

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Okay. The quicker this can be resolved, the better.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: We will all come back in the second round because there are a lot of questions to be asked. I want to start by talking about the restoration of the Ulster Canal. This was funded by the shared island unit and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage here. We have been told that 15% of the island's waterways are in Northern Ireland and 85% are in the Republic of Ireland....

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: We exclusively funded that.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Is that normal practice?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: I know that. Given that it is a cross-Border project, one would think there would have been a contribution from the northern side, if it is going to be shared. I have no problem with the project but I think there should be a financial contribution from both sides.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: This would not have happened without the funding - obviously, that has been the impediment to this project - from our Department of housing.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: One of the things that is a concern relates to other parts of the system. There seems to be quite a dramatic reduction in the number of people who are using the waterways for navigation purposes in cruisers and so on. Does Mr. McDonagh have a rationale for why that is happening? For example, costs are part of it. Has Waterways Ireland done, or is it doing, an analysis on that? If...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Over a longer period, it is much more dramatic.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Did Waterways Ireland do a business case in terms of who would use this, given the big investment in the greenways?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Did that indicate there was going to be growth or impediments to growth in line with the kind of charging? Is that an aspect?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Did Waterways Ireland do any analysis, such as surveys, of the people who formerly came? Is it possible to do that? Is it cost that is the impediment? There is a Waterways Ireland charge but there are also other charges for businesses along the way, for example, rates and other taxes. Is that feeding into making it unattractive?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Does Mr. McDonagh accept there is a need to look at this in its totality?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: One issue raised earlier was that of trips and falls, if we can put it that way, or things that have produced legal cases. Was the spill of cable fluid into the Grand Canal the subject of a legal case?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Was that the local authority?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: One of the chemicals was deemed to be hazardous. The incident on the Grand Canal happened near Inchicore. There would be a relationship with the ESB in that regard. Is it a continuing problem and what is Waterways Ireland doing to mitigate it?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: What was the cost of dealing with it and cleaning it up, and who bore that cost?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: I would appreciate it if Waterways Ireland came back to us on that.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: I visualise youngsters jumping into and out of the canal and this being a problem. I ask Waterways Ireland to come back to us on that and also with regard to what measures are being taken to ensure the risk is minimised.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Thank you. Is the KPMG report completed or is Waterways Ireland still doing work with KPMG? What is the cost of that?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2022: Waterways Ireland (4 Jul 2024)

Catherine Murphy: What was the cost of the report?