Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The genesis of setting up Comhairle na Tuaithe and the most urgent problem it faced in its early years was the whole issue of access to farmers' lands, particularly hill land and mountains. All that is owned by somebody. What we call commonage is shared ownership land. It is not common or some public land unless it belongs to some organisation such as Coillte.

As it was not mentioned in the Minister's reply, what progress has been made to build a scheme that recognises the rights of farmers and, on the other hand, gives widespread access to the hills and mountains? We do not need to build the hills or the mountains. They are there. People want to be sure they can access them and that they would be welcome. On the other hand, the farmers want to be assured that there would be no dogs on the hills, fences will not be damaged and the policy of leave no trace will be followed.

A pilot scheme was set up in 2008. Indemnity was to be given to the farmers against the very off-chance that somebody would try to take a case because they slipped on a rock or something on a mountain. What progress has been made in ensuring access to the hills? Is it intended to extend the trail scheme again this coming year because that was in abeyance for the past ten years?

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