Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 97: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs when there will be a national country walkway strategy; his views on the loss of tourism revenue which is resulting from this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10764/06]

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the position regarding the work of Comhairle na Tuáithe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10799/06]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 112 together.

The issue of rural tourism in the context of the opportunities presented by the development of walkways is one, I believe, which can only be solved by the active participation and support of not just farmers and walkers but also the wider rural community, who stand to benefit a great deal from the development of activity based rural tourism, including walking tours. The issue of access to land and walkways is fundamental to this question and it was in this context that, in February 2004, I established Comhairle na Tuaithe to address the three priority issues of access, developing a countryside code and developing a countryside recreation strategy.

Comhairle na Tuaithe comprises representatives of the farming organisations, recreational users of the countryside and State bodies with an interest in the countryside. As well as having identified and reviewed a set of access parameters in the countryside, Comhairle na Tuaithe has also considered the key features necessary for countryside code development, with a focus on the potential application of the internationally recognised Leave No Trace initiative.

Comhairle na Tuaithe is currently working on the development of a national countryside recreation strategy. The objective of the strategy is to put in place an accepted and agreed vision for countryside recreation and a blueprint for action and implementation of that strategy going forward. A total of 190 submissions were received in answer to a call in national and provincial papers and by letter to stakeholder organisations. These submissions are currently being examined and the work of drafting the countryside recreation strategy is proceeding.

I look forward to receiving the draft strategy from Comhairle na Tuaithe following its consideration of the issues arising. It is also intended to use the rural social scheme to develop and maintain walkways.

I am aware that recent Fáilte Ireland figures indicate that the number of visitors to Ireland continued to increase during 2005 but that the trend towards short urban based breaks continued, which draws the overseas leisure visitors away from rural areas. It should be noted that my Department is working in close partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Food on the new rural development programme/s 2007-13. Under axis 3 of this programme — The Wider Rural Economy — the overarching objective is one of creating employment opportunities. The range of measures available under this axis will be used to promote the development of rural communities and also to ensure that rural areas remain attractive for future generations. To meet these priorities, the EU strategic guidelines and Council regulation identify key actions, among which is encouraging the development of rural tourism.