Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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I am sorry; I was simply trying to cause peace.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is like a new person.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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That may be so. A new lease and all of that.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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I look forward to seeing it.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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I imagine the Minister of State, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, will be taking this matter, seeing as he is in the House. I am here to ask about the future funding for the Lough Derg strategy. We hear a good deal about the fantastic strategies of the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Ancient East. As a former employee who worked for many years in Bord Fáilte and Fáilte Ireland, I know they are fantastic and brilliant strategies. They are really driving tourism throughout the country. We have seen it to date and I hope to see it again this summer. However, there is another part of Ireland. It is called the heart of Ireland or the middle of Ireland. It is where the greatest value is. It runs from Cavan all the way down the spine of Ireland. When I worked in Fáilte Ireland we used to call it the hole in the doughnut because the lakelands area is so beautiful and fantastic. It has extraordinary tourism potential but it has never got sufficient bang for its buck in terms of the number of bed nights or the number of people who come in through Dublin Airport and visit. Despite this, the area has great-quality accommodation, extraordinary cultural and heritage attractions and the lakelands. A major part of the plan is the Lough Derg strategy.

The Lough Derg strategy was commissioned and written by Fáilte Ireland in 2014. It is a comprehensive strategy and a fantastic plan that incorporates three different counties, including my county of Tipperary as well as the counties of Galway and Clare. It is literally Ireland's hidden secret as regards tourism. It is perfectly accessible whether people are coming from Portumna, going through Mountshannon and across into Ballina and Killaloe, or coming the other way from Ballina and Killaloe up through my country of Garrykennedy, on to Terryglass and back over to Portumna.

The plan was put in place and a sum of €2 million was allocated. New signage was put in place, along with small capital developments. The plan has been very successful. However, we need to see its finalisation. At least, we need to see it move in the right direction with another capital amount and a timeframe for its implementation. Otherwise, the Parliament and the Government cannot maintain that they are doing everything they can for the rural economy and rural counties.

We have a fantastic plan promoting Ireland's Ancient East. The Wild Atlantic Way promotes a huge tourism corridor, yet the spine of Ireland has a fantastic strategy, but it is not being prioritised. Above all, I want to find out what the plan is. I know Fáilte Ireland is supportive of the strategy. I have spoken to representatives of Fáilte Ireland on numerous occasions about it. It is natural that I would do so, seeing as I worked there for many years.

It would not take a great deal of money. A couple of million each year for three or four years would see out this plan. For instance, it would see a new ecopark built in Portumna, a canoe trail across the lake and an interpretive centre by the lake as well as a number of other small initiatives across the lake.

The Minister of State knows the country very well. If ever he is near the area, I encourage him to look at the work that has already been done. It is being chaired by the Tipperary County Council chief executive, Mr. Joe MacGrath. The group comprises representatives from the three different counties, including marketing groups and other stakeholders. Working together collectively, they are marketing the area. They just need the Minister of State's continued support and I hope he will be able to give me good news.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this Topical Issue. Many of his points on the national issue have already been identified by us in the Department since the Government changeover. He is right that the Fáilte Ireland branding has been very successful. Since coming to the Department, I have instructed departmental officials and Fáilte Ireland that there is a corridor down the middle of the country from Cavan, Monaghan and east Donegal right down to north County Cork, which I believe is a priority area. I believe that priority needs to be addressed through the local authorities in conjunction with Leader companies through the Department of rural development.

The Deputy will be aware that under local government legislation introduced in the previous Dáil, county CEOs now have an economic development role, part of which is tourism promotion. Unfortunately, some county CEOs have not been as proactive as they might have been in tourism development. Regarding the bigger issue the Deputy mentioned, I have already asked departmental officials to ensure that county CEOs outline what they are doing to promote tourism.

As the Deputy will know from his time in the Department, the role of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport relating to tourism lies primarily in the area of national policy. The Department is not directly involved in the development or management of individual tourism projects. These are operational matters for Fáilte Ireland.

The Lough Derg marketing group is the stakeholder representative group tasked with developing Lough Derg as a key destination for water-based activities combined with a range of high-quality walking, cycling, heritage, culture and food experiences. I speak from experience; the Deputy will know that I spent some of my life in Nenagh. This is being achieved through joint co-operation of all tourism stakeholders in the development and marketing of their area under the lakelands-Lough Derg identity.

The group's document, Roadmap for Experience Development and Destination Marketing 2014-2017, which was launched in March 2014, includes five key objectives for which action plans have been prepared. They are the improvement of orientation by implementing the Lough Derg signage strategy; the improvement of lakeside experiences; the development of tourism products; the raising of awareness of the destination through marketing; and the engagement with and support of tourism businesses.

As the Deputy said, in 2014 the Government allocated €2 million in stimulus funding to the Lough Derg project. The disbursement of this funding is co­ordinated by Fáilte Ireland. The €2 million was intended to kick-start the implementation of the overall Lough Derg strategy through attracting investment into the Lough Derg lakelands and the individual projects I mentioned. In regard to further development, it is a matter for the Lough Derg marketing group to source additional funding.

I am pleased to say there has been significant progress across the 15 individual projects falling under the Lough Derg stimulus fund. A total of nine of these projects have been completed and the Member will probably be aware of most of them. Of the remaining six projects, four are due to be completed by July 2016. These are the Holy Island management plan; the refurbishment of the Castle Marina; the placement of angling stands at Mota Quay; and the second phase of the Lough Derg signage strategy. The final two projects are due for completion by the end of September and the end of November. These projects are, respectively, an interpretation panel and improved access to the Millennium Cross; and development of the Lough Derg canoe trail. In addition to the stimulus fund provided by the Department, the agencies on the group have invested heavily in Lough Derg to support the actions in the strategy. The Deputy will be aware of the agencies involved.

I understand that in order to continue to develop the Lough Derg lakelands, the agency stakeholders on the group make an annual contribution to the group. The Lough Derg marketing group has demonstrated an understanding of the potential of Lough Derg, and the strategy has provided the vision to develop the destination brand and visitor experience. The stakeholders have shown a commitment to the sustainable development of the region. I am pleased to say that, to date, the implementation of the strategy has been very successful and is approximately 75% complete. The Department has played a significant role in stimulating investment in Lough Derg through its capital allocation of €2 million to Fáilte Ireland, which administers the funds.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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I am well aware of the status of the work. As outlined in the document, the strategy is costed at €10.5 million. The Lough Derg marketing group and the local authorities are willing to make contributions to that, but it is not realistic to say the capital plans will be implemented in full without Fáilte Ireland input. I accept what the Minister of State has said about Fáilte Ireland; I know how it works. I ask the Minister of State to encourage it to look at the Lough Derg strategy.

I accept the Minister of State's opening statements. However, there are concerns among people such as James Whelan of the Spirit of Killaloe and Máire Boyle of Larkins; I could list off another 20 or 30 tourism businesspeople. We see the effort that has been put into the two national marketing strategies of Ireland's Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way, and yet we are fighting for what is a fantastic project involving Ireland's most hidden secret and what could be one of Ireland's premier tourist destinations if it was developed slightly more. It is very central, being within half an hour of Shannon Airport, an hour and a half of Dublin, and an hour of Cork. It is not possible for them to do it all by themselves.

I know the Minister of State is familiar with the area having worked there. I ask him to approach Fáilte Ireland and just make some form of contribution towards this in the budget and capital allowances for next year, whatever it may be. It will be more than doubled by the local authorities working together to implement it. If we can do that gradually in the coming years, the full plan will be implemented and we will have a fabulous destination that we will all visit because it is one of the best in the country.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will know from his time in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, the brands he mentioned have been some of the greatest drivers of tourism. The Deputy is right and I have pointed out to Fáilte Ireland that there is a corridor in the middle of the country.

As I said at the start of my contribution, the county CEOs have an opportunity. Fáilte Ireland recently announced a major capital investment programme with projects of between €200,000 and €5 million being funded. If the local authorities in Tipperary, Galway, Clare or Offaly wish to take the remaining elements of the strategy that are yet to be implemented and make viable applications to Fáilte Ireland, I am sure that Fáilte Ireland, given that it knows the lakelands area and knows the contribution that Lough Derg can make, will look at those.

I am very anxious to push this forward. Local authorities need to do much more when it comes to the development of our tourism strategy. It cannot fall to the Department alone, as the Deputy will know from his experience. It cannot fall to Fáilte Ireland and it cannot fall to Leader companies. There needs to be a concerted effort in this regard. Fáilte Ireland, through funding voted by the Oireachtas, has a significant amount of money available for capital works to enhance the tourism product available. I had a meeting with Fáilte Ireland representatives this morning to discuss the corridor I mentioned that goes from outside Cork city up to Cavan and Monaghan along both banks of the River Shannon.

When local authorities are making applications to Fáilte Ireland for capital works, they should be looked at in the context of them being outside the branded areas. However, local authorities must take up this initiative. This cannot fall to the Department; there is no magic wand there. An element of matching funding will be required as the Deputy knows from his time in the Department. I hope that the local authorities along the shore of the River Shannon, including my own local authority, will take this initiative to avail of the capital funding. The more applications that can be made through Fáilte Ireland, the more it strengthens our Department's case to look to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to have those grants enhanced.