Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1704. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the allocation to the walks scheme in the past ten years; and the number of walks which this funded in the past ten years, in tabular form. [38515/17]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department administers the Walks Scheme which was launched in March 2008. The scheme was an innovative response to facilitating the development and maintenance of many of Ireland’s key walking trails. The key aspect of the Scheme is that it includes landholders as key participants in the provision of high quality walking trails by contracting them to undertake maintenance work on sections of National Way Marked Ways and other priority walks that traverse their lands. The landholders received modest payments for maintenance work undertaken in line with agreed work plans.

A total of 39 trails are currently covered by the scheme and the number of participants in the scheme currently stands at 1,904.Payments in respect of the scheme are disbursed through the Local Development Company network.

The table outlines the funding made available to the Walks scheme, and the number of walks funded, since its inception in 2008.It includes funding for all aspects of the scheme including participant payments and other ancillary costs.

Walks Scheme Expenditure 2008-2017.