Results 621-640 of 1,047,643 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Brian Stanley OR speaker:Peter Burke OR speaker:Jim O'Callaghan) in 'Committee meetings'

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

Brian Stanley: Does Deputy Murphy want to take a moment before putting her final question?

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

Brian Stanley: I have a couple of questions and then Deputy Murphy can come back in.

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

Brian Stanley: Deputy Murphy can gather her thoughts. I wish to ask about the Grand Canal. Mr. McDonagh is going to give us a note on the breakdown of the €125,000. The proposed Shannon pipeline is back in the news again, so to speak. There are arguments for and against it, but I will not get into them here as that is for another forum. An issue was raised by some boat owners and operators in...

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

Brian Stanley: Per second. And the figure here is 4 m3 per second.

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

Brian Stanley: On the status quo, have situations arisen where some boats may have been bottoming-out anywhere along the Shannon? It has not run out of water, has it?.

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

Brian Stanley: I will explain why I am asking the question. This proposal is out there again and I am trying to inform myself about this. People are arguing on both sides of this and I wanted to get Waterways Ireland’s view, as the body which owns and manages the waterway. I would have expected that it would have done some work on it with Uisce Éireann.

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

Brian Stanley: I welcome that. I wanted to get Waterways Ireland’s take on it so I thank Mr. Rowe. I have a question on Vicarstown. Mr. Rowe will know what I am talking about.

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

Brian Stanley: It is a lovely village. There were two pubs in it. The pubs are gone. The school is gone. There is nothing. Mr. Rowe will have been down there a number of times, I would say. There are a lot of people living down there with his second name. The whole locality is fantastic. I have not been out there often enough but hopefully we will get to go out there again. What plans are there for...

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

Brian Stanley: It just strikes me that the midlands in general does not do well with tourism or funding for tourism. I do not want to be too parochial about it but County Laois certainly does not do well. There is a number of visitor attractions in the county but it is also for us natives. Vicarstown has much more potential to generate employment and money locally and improving Waterway Ireland’s...

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

Brian Stanley: That does not give much away.

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

Brian Stanley: The position between Monasterevin and Athy is a perfect location.

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

Brian Stanley: However, at the moment there are no facilities there for pumping out.

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

Brian Stanley: There are no facilities whatever. Plans can change and they can take a long time. In the short to medium term, are there plans to do anything?

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

Brian Stanley: Would houseboats figure in it?

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

Brian Stanley: On the maintenance of the waterway itself, some years ago there was a problem with water levels. I was in contact with one of Waterways Ireland’s regional staff who was helpful and they solved it. There was water running off and the levels were dropping below that required in the summer to navigate it. That was done and I wanted to acknowledge that. When Monasterevin was in the...

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

Brian Stanley: Waterways Ireland has 24 of these machines. Is one of them dedicated to that stretch of the canal?

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

Brian Stanley: Okay. I would ask that Mr. Rowe would look at that area with the local staff because it is a complaint that is brought up with me regularly. It is important. The middle stretch is sufficient. I can see the logic in it and you do not want to butcher everything either because obviously there are biodiversity issues but that is more than sufficient if that is done. I want to acknowledge...

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

Brian Stanley: That is in the south of Ireland.

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

Brian Stanley: We have covered a lot of ground. The witnesses have some information to revert to us with, including on the questions on the Shannon and the Vicarstown situation. I thank the witnesses from Waterways Ireland and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for their work preparing for today’s meeting. I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General and his staff for...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Jul 2024)

Brian Stanley: The public business before us this afternoon is the minutes, accounts and financial statements, correspondence and consideration of a draft committee work programme, as well as any other business. The first item of business is the minutes of our meeting of 27 June 2024, which have been circulated to members. Do members wish to raise any issues regarding the minutes? Are the minutes...