Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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89. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide an update on his Department’s plans to streamline and accelerate the approval process for local improvement scheme and outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme applications, particularly in areas such as Galway east, where shovel-ready projects with local match funding are awaiting sanction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55758/25]

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I welcome both Ministers to the House for this worthwhile debate that we are having. Will the Minister for Rural and Community Development and Gaeltacht provide an update on his Department's plans to streamline and accelerate the approval process for local improvement schemes and outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme applications, particularly in areas such as east Galway where some shovel-ready projects with local match funding are awaiting sanction? Will he make a statement on the matter?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his question. As part of the ongoing process of co-ordinated scheme delivery across my Department, schemes such as the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme, ORIS, involve a well-established process of issuing calls for applications, project evaluation and project selection. In general, my Department's schemes are administered on a competitive basis, which underpins the delivery of value for money and the selection of high quality projects. Applications for ORIS are administered, prioritised and submitted by each local authority and by local development companies to my Department for assessment. The process, while reviewed and refined ahead of each funding iteration, is well-embedded across the local authorities and local development companies.

ORIS provides funding for the development and enhancement of infrastructure such as walking trails, cycleways, water-based recreation sites and mountain trails. It is typically opened every 18 months across a number of different measures. I have already announced the successful projects under measure 1 and the project development measure of the 2024-25 scheme. The successful projects under measures 2 and 3 will be announced before the end of this year.

Since 2020, almost €5 million has been approved for 58 projects across Galway under ORIS. The local improvement scheme, LIS, is one of the key supports to rural communities in that it improves non-public rural roads and laneways that are not typically maintained by local authorities. While my Department provides funding for the scheme, it is fully administered by local authorities. Local authorities are responsible for the selection and the prioritisation of those roads, as well as the management of applications and waiting lists. Following my approval in August of additional allocations under the scheme, Galway County Council’s 2025 allocation is now €2.1 million, which is an increase of €843,000 on its original 2025 allocation, and the council has indicated to me that its full allocation will be utilised by year end. Significant levels of investment have been delivered under my Department's rural development investment programme in recent years and I am absolutely committed, along with the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, to ensuring that this funding continues to be utilised in an efficient and effective manner.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister. First, I am a great advocate, as I am sure many others are, for investment in the infrastructure developments he mentioned such as walkways, greenways and cycleways. We are living in an area where the population, thankfully, is increasing. I am also mindful that people are craving those kind of recreational opportunities, particularly people who want to seek outdoor recreational exposure for childhood obesity, mindfulness or people who are struggling with mental health issues. I am sure anything the Minister can do in promoting and supporting that is a really welcome departure.

Right across every county the LIS has proved to be a very essential component or element. There are people who are building their first home in little laneways who apply for those scheme and it is a really great saviour when they can have that.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I could not agree with the Deputy more on outdoor recreation. The focus of the ORIS scheme is to support outdoor recreation infrastructure. It funds projects such as walkways, cycleways, blueways, water and cycle trails, mountain-access routes and open water amenities of bogs, rivers, lakes and beaches, including tidal pools. Projects are generally located in the countryside under the scheme. However, we will examine projects that might link a town or a village to an existing outdoor recreational facility in the countryside. We try to align some of the principles of ORIS with the national outdoor recreational strategy, Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, to also maintain and improve existing trails. While we build new ones, existing trails are equally as important.

LIS is extremely important and is a major focus for me. I am delighted to be able to tell the Deputy that in 2024 Galway County Council was one of the top six performing local authorities. It had minimal underspend. It is crazy to be able to say that there were local authorities that did not spend their LIS allocation and returned money. I cannot understand that and I am sure, as I look around the Chamber here, none of us can understand that as Deputies who know communities who need that LIS expenditure. That will not happen again.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I can certainly attest to the fact that any moneys that Galway County Council get will be spent very wisely and very prudently. It has quite a comprehensive list of infrastructure that it wishes to develop under these schemes. One of the things I ask about passionately is that the Department continues to invest in these schemes, particularly in outdoor recreation. It is a game-changer for many communities. Certainly, in east Galway, in my neck of the woods, I would welcome any investment in that regard.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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We funded 59 projects in Galway since 2020 under ORIS with an investment of €4.944 million. There are some really good ones, including the Creggs mountain walk and the Glinsk Heritage Park, which are two really good examples.

In relation to the LIS, since 2020 we have funded 195 roads in Galway, an investment of €10.04 million. That is money well spent.

As regards ORIS, one of the few good things to come out of Covid was that people embraced the outdoors and, more importantly, their local outdoors. We see it in the increase in people using facilities. We see it particularly in our partnership with Coillte around recreational spaces and forests and where we make investments. There has been an extraordinary increase in people using existing forests where trails have been opened, access has been opened and investments have been made in infrastructure and facilities to draw people to forests. I was with the Leas-Cheann Comhairle in Kilkenny earlier in the summer opening up new facilities there. It is extraordinary to see how small investments can totally open up an area and allow people to make full use of their local infrastructure facilities.

Micheál Carrigy (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I have a question about the LIS. The Minister stated that some counties are not spending their allocation. I come from the county of Longford, where we have huge waiting lists. We spend our entire allocation. I ask that any moneys not spent by a local authority be ring-fenced and sent back to those local authorities that are spending what has been allocated and have long waiting lists.