Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The one thing I want to ensure, and I know the Deputy will agree with me, is that we do not want to give the farmers any problems in this space. The farmers are allowing people access to their lands. We want to try to facilitate and accommodate this. Most stakeholders in the sector share the view that a public liability policy has the potential to deliver the same benefits as an indemnity scheme but it can be introduced much more quickly. The focus on the indemnity scheme may have somewhat distracted from the development of an alternative solution linked to insurance. As I said, for some time the officials have been examining how best to introduce a scheme to indemnify private landowners, particularly in upland areas. It is a complex issue. They have looked at it and they feel this is the best way forward. The point I am making, and I know the Deputy will agree with me, is that we do not involve the farmers in this. They will not have any liability. We do not want that to happen.

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