Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

I refer to two basic principles, the first of which is that a landowner owns the land and he or she is not under a legal obligation to allow anybody on his or her land. The second is no compensation will be paid by the State for the provision of access to land. I have made those two principles clear time and again. It is, therefore, within a landowner's right to say he or she does not want a person crossing his or her land. Commonage in Ireland is not defined as it is in England where such land is community land. Commonage in Ireland is normally undivided land in which there are more than two shareholders. They are as much owners of the land collectively as a person who owns land outright. Rights of way are different. No one can be prevented from walking on a right of way.

The Deputy referred to the north west, which is home to a significant number of walkways on which full agreement has been reached regarding access. The national waymarked ways committee has a policy of ensuring it has the agreement of various farmers before it advertises walkways. The following walkways are accessible in counties Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim: Slí Dhún na nGall, the Bluestack Way; the Sligo Way, the Arigna Miners Way and Historical Trail and Slí Liatroma. They provide 570 km of walks and more walks will be developed over time.

One can always bring the horse to water but one cannot make the horse drink. If people feel it is not in their interest to promote rural tourism and so on in their areas, so be it because that is their right. However, we should advertise those areas where people are only delighted to attract rural tourists and are more than willing to allow them to roam the hills freely. That is the case in the vast majority of areas. If this is done in a focused way, a top quality product can be promoted without conflict and it can be marketed internationally in the knowledge that tourists will not only have the acquiescence of the landowner but also his or her encouragement to visit. That is the way it should be. A céad míle fáilte should be given to those who wish to visit our countryside. Plenty of communities would give a dhá chéad míle fáilte to anybody who wishes to visit their areas as long they respect the countryside code agreed with Comhairle na Tuaithe.

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