Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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139. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the status of payments to persons for the use of walkways (details supplied) on their lands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8696/16]

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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My Department administers a Walks Scheme, which provides modest payments to landowners to maintain sections of walking trails that traverse their lands. It does not affect their property rights and is not a payment for access purposes. It should be noted that all landowners and occupiers whose property or land is traversed or adjoins a recreational trail that has been inspected and approved by the National Trails Office are indemnified by a commercial company.

Due to budgetary constraints it has not been possible to expand the existing Walks Scheme in recent years. However, there continue to be 39 trails covered by my Department’s Walks Scheme and in 2015 payments to participants exceeded €1.8m. The number of participants currently on the Scheme stands at approximately 1,900.