Heritage Bill
For the text of motions put down by Dublin City, Fingal & South Dublin County Councils & the Association of Irish Local Government click here
For a link to the video footage of the Seanad debates on November 9th & 17th, click here
For a link to the transcripts of the Seanad debates on November 9th & 17th, click here
For a link to the Heritage Bill 2016 & the lists of Amendments, click here
List of Councillors & Senators who have supported recent actions
What is proposed? (The Bill as it stands)
Provision to create Bye-laws with no pre consultation that will be law within 21 days of publishing including
- Fines & regulations that are overly penal and will not encourage use of the canals and which are not in place on the other Irish waterways
- stop and search rights for their Officers
- the closing of canals to navigation
- five day move on rule (forcing boats to move every 5 days or face €150 fine per day)
- legislation to apply other penalties with no independent appeal mechanism
- no adequate provision for elected Local Authorities representatives to be consulted on any proposed bye-laws
- provision to apply other penalties with no warning or independent appeal mechanism
What is needed? (IWAI proposed amendments)
- proper pre consultation and engagement with the canal communities, users, their customers and elected Local Authority Representatives
- bye-laws that will both maintain existing community canal based users and encourage new visitors, not just force existing users off the canal
- legislate to solve the problems in the areas where it is needed which is approx. 1 % of the canal area and not penalises the 99% of waterways communities to address the problematic 1% (e.g. unlicensed boats, harbor hogging)
- bylaws that don’t discriminate against the canals
- actively promote tourism on the canals, support the IWAI Green and Silver circle trip through Dublin via both canals, by ensuring boats can get through Dublin more than a handful of times each year due to irregular bridge lifts
- in the absence of private marinas provide accessible long term moorings in safe areas not isolated known problematic area reform of the canal bylaws led by our political leaders and representatives in support of the canal communities and canal users
- Disproportionate and heavy handed legislation and bylaws will result in canal users simply moving to the other adjoining navigation’s which are more user friendly with regard to regulations and use, such actions would be a further blow to an already fragile future of the canals.
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