Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

I agree numbers are down, and we must ask why. The product is the same as it was in 2000. As the Deputy will know, two issues have had an influence on numbers. The first was the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, which nobody could do anything about. The way we handled it was the best way, but there were clear disadvantages to it.

The second and more damaging issue is one which we have set out to ensure will never be repeated. This is conflict on the hills and the reporting of conflict on the hills. I have no doubt that the stories of conflict and people being challenged, which are reported extensively nationally and internationally inhibits people coming to our country. The first action carried out by Comhairle na Tuaithe was to get people around a table to get agreement on how parameters would work. I have already outlined how this was done.

The rest of the market has moved on. It became obvious when we began to examine the issue that even if those downturns had never happened, our product was not developed enough. We have looked at international best practice. When I was in New Zealand around St. Patrick's Day, we had extensive discussions regarding matters in New Zealand which were very similar to here. That country is considered to have best practice. We are also developing a countryside recreation strategy, and it is useful to be able to benchmark it with best international practice.

There has been extensive consultation, and 190 submissions were received. I hope to receive the Comhairle na Tuaithe recreation strategy in the near future. It will be a road map; it will outline the steps we must take to ensure we have top-class rural recreation facilities, not just walkways.

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