Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Renua Ireland)
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204. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the various reports and the details and assessment of projects that were submitted for greenway funding, the order of merit they were placed in, the projects that received funding, the amount of funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44282/15]

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Renua Ireland)
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205. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport why the application for funding for a greenway project at Blessington in County Wicklow did not receive funding, details of any project that received funding but received lower points in an assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44283/15]

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Renua Ireland)
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206. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the funding that was allocated for greenway development that has not been utilised to date, his plans to reallocate this funding to other projects such as the Blessington project in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44284/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 204 to 206, inclusive, together.

​A total of 38 proposals for cycleway/greenway projects were submitted from 28 local authorities to my Department under the National Cycle Network (NCN) Funding Programme 2014 -2016.  These proposals were assessed by an expert assessment team as part of a competitive process.  The outcome was that three projects from Kerry, Galway and Waterford shared in funding of €6.3 million, details of which can be viewed on my Department's Smarter Travel website www.smartertravel.ie. under the subheading National Cycle Network.  

Details of the associated NCN assessment process and results have been uploaded onto my Department's website (www.dttas.ie) following a Freedom of Information request (Ref.FOI20140063).  

A further 11 projects, submitted under the NCN Funding Programme, shared in €10 million funding from the Government Stimulus Package for Infrastructural Development (details attached). The funding for the Stimulus Package used the same scoring system as the NCN but, given the nature of the stimulus package, required projects to be shovel-ready and able to be finished within 12 months. For that reason Blessington did not meet the criteria and was not awarded funding.  I acknowledge that a small number of authorities awarded funding under this package have experienced difficulties in delivering completed projects with the 12 month timeframe.  My officials are dealing with each on a case by case basis.

The further investment in transport package announced last July also directed funding towards greenway infrastructure with Westmeath Co Council being awarded €3 million to complete the Athlone to Mullingar Greenway to a high specification. 

The Blessington Greenway proposal submitted under the NCN programme was among a small number of projects which were viewed as high value propositions and which were awarded a high rating by the expert assessment panel. However, for reasons of costing, deliverability, viability or legal issues a number of high scoring projects could not be considered for funding under that tranche.

Currently all Department funding for the delivery of greenways is  fully committed up to 2016, however, my Department will continuing to explore other possible funding streams to assist local authorities in the delivery of greenways for their county.    

I would urge Wicklow Co Council to advance  the Blessington Greenway proposal to the greatest degree possible from own resources, possibly having all design and statutory requirements in place in advance of the next funding so as to be well positioned to compete.