Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

We are, and although what has happened over the past two to three years seems slow, it has brought the debate on tremendously. We had a useful and positive debate at the ICMSA tent at the ploughing championships. I am aware of the Scottish situation and have examined that of New Zealand, which is pursuing the community approach. New Zealand has more state land than we do. In Scotland legislation was brought in. I could foresee a number of difficulties with that legislation if it were brought in without agreement. For example, the Labour Party proposed that open land down to a certain height be open to walkers. Many of our hills slope below those heights and there is no mark on the mountain. If a farmer were angry, he or she could wait until a walker inadvertently crossed that threshold. I have been trying to build a consensus and we have it in counties such as Mayo, Galway and Donegal. The majority of farmers have no difficulty with people walking the mountains and they accept it by agreement.

We have fundamental agreement, except for a few tidying up issues, on a maintenance scheme for way-marked ways and farmers will be given two choices. Either they maintain it and the Department provides materials and pays them for their time, or we get the rural social scheme to maintain it. A farmer of 83 years with no children might be happier to choose the latter option.

This is an important issue. We have done much painstaking work. It is similar to resolving issues in the northern part of our country. Perhaps it should be discussed by the joint Oireachtas committee, where we could have a wide debate and tease it out in more detail than we can during Question Time today. However we are moving forward and the Deputy is probably coming from the same viewpoint as I am.

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