§ 74. Mr. Longdenasked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has for protecting the existing public rights of navigation on canals and waterways and the existing legal duty resting on the proprietors of canals and waterways to maintain them in a navigable condition.
§ Mr. MarshAs far as the nationalised inland waterways are concerned, the provisions of the Transport Bill would replace the navigation rights and maintenance obligations arising from long out-dated canal and railway legislation with a new obligation on the Waterways Board to maintain the commercial and cruising waterways in a suitable condition for the craft that use them today.
As a result of Amendments proposed by the Government for the Report stage, any person would be able to bring court proceedings against the Board for serious failure to carry out these obligations.
228WFor the non-nationalised canals, the Bill would replace some difficult and obscure provisions of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1888, about abandoning canals with a modern Order procedure. Under this procedure, these canals would, if necessary, be transferred to local authorities.