Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

As the Deputy is aware Comhairle na Tuaithe has completed its work on the development of a national countryside recreation strategy. The members of Comhairle na Tuaithe, with the exception of the Irish Farmers' Association, have endorsed the report.

I met the President of the IFA, Mr. Pádraig Walshe, the week before last to discuss the issue of access to land for recreational purposes. The meeting was very positive. The key issue to be addressed is payment to farmers for work carried out by them, to an agreed standard, on the upkeep and maintenance of walks on their lands. Following my meeting with Mr. Walshe I have asked that officials of my Department and representatives of the IFA would meet to progress the issue and report back to me before the new year, if possible.

Payment for access is not under discussion and therefore there is no question of a U-turn on my part. The fact is that since summer 2005, when the IFA published its document on its proposed walkways initiative there has been very little difference between my position and that of the IFA on this issue. What the IFA has sought is a payment for the maintenance of specific walks throughout the country and I am fully in agreement that there should be no cost burden on farmers from the maintenance of permissive ways open to the public at no charge.

Mr. Walshe has gone on record following our meeting stating that payment must be related to the amount of maintenance and amount of development that has to be done on a walkway.

I see progress on this issue being based on recognised walks such as waymarked ways or shorter walks which would be promoted by Fáilte Ireland. The walks would be managed by local community groups in the context of local development strategies which are to the drawn up under the rural development programme 2007-13. I have time and again made clear my view that a local community-based approach is the best way forward where issues of access to the countryside arise. Where it is not possible to reach agreement, in a particular location, alternative routes should be explored and developed so landowners' rights over access to their lands are not interfered with.

In light of the outcome of my recent meeting with the president of the IFA, I believe the IFA is now approaching this issue in a positive spirit with a view to implementing the countryside recreation strategy put forward by Comhairle na Tuaithe and already endorsed by the other farming organisations on that body.

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