Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 277: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the instructions or directive given by him in the past three years in regard to the conclusion of a list of rights of way in county plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6853/11]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Section 7 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010, which was commenced on 5 October 2010, amended the Planning and Development Act 2000 by requiring the inclusion of a mandatory objective in the development plan for:

"the preservation of public rights of way which give access to seashore, mountain, lakeshore, riverbank or other place of natural beauty or recreational utility, which public rights of way shall be identified both by marking them on at least one of the maps forming part of the development plan and by indicating their location on a list appended to the development plan".

It is a matter for planning authorities to implement such policies in the context of their development plans. In this context and as statutory consultee, my Department continues to provide advice and comments to planning authorities on their draft development plans and draft variations and may refer to matters relating to rights of way from time to time as deemed appropriate.