Vol. 535 No. 1
468 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the progress made to date on implementing the Dublin city section of the Grand Canal corridor study; the future plans she has for that specific area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11454/01]
I refer the Deputy to my recent parliamentary reply, parliamentary Question No. 181, which outlined some of the developments on the Grand Canal, particularly in the Clondalkin and Lucan areas, since publication of the Grand Canal corridor study in 1995. Closer to the city, there have been a number of significant developments since 1997 including the provision of jetties and major tree planting works along the circular line. A number of boat tour operations have been licensed on the canal including the amphibious Viking Splash. Angling and water sport activities continue to gain in popularity. A joint project team has been set up with Dublin Corporation and Waterways Ireland to implement landscaping projects along the city canals. It is expected that a pilot scheme on the stretch between Portobello Bridge and Harold's Cross Bridge will be developed later this year.
The Deputy will be aware that Waterways Ireland, a North/South implementation body for inland waterways, was established on 2 December 1999, on foot of the British-Irish Agreement and was assigned the functions of management, maintenance, development and restoration of certain inland navigable waterways systems throughout the island, principally for recreational purposes. Accordingly, any future developments on the canal system will be a matter for Waterways Ireland under the North/South Ministerial Council.
