Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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972. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the steps she is taking to expand the walks scheme including into the Dublin mountains; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18098/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Walks Scheme, which is funded by my Department, contracts landholders to undertake maintenance work on National Waymarked Ways and other priority trails that traverse their lands. The landholders receive modest payments for maintenance work undertaken in line with agreed work plans. In addition, my Department’s Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) provides funding for the development and enhancement of amenities such as walking trails.

Last September, I announced the 'approval in principle' of 31 new trails to join the Walks Scheme. This fulfills the commitment in the Programme for Government and Our Rural Future to double the number of trails on the Scheme to 80 trails. These trails are being formally brought onto the scheme by Local Development Companies who deliver the Walks Scheme locally and who are developing work plans for each of the individual landholders involved.

The new trails added to the scheme were selected following a call for expressions of interest to join the scheme. I understand that no expressions of interest were received in respect of trails in the Dublin Mountains.

Trails that are eligible for inclusion in the Walks Scheme are those that are registered with Sport Ireland and covered by the Sport Ireland trail insurance policy. For example, I understand that the Dublin Mountains Way is registered with Sport Ireland and may be eligible to apply to the scheme in the future. There may be other routes that are not included on the Sport Ireland register and would not be eligible for the scheme. As such, the position in respect of each trail would have to be assessed on a case by case basis before they could be considered for the scheme.

Once the new trails are fully operational under the Scheme, I will examine the potential for the further expansion of the Scheme. An expression of interest process will be opened for new trails, including those in the Dublin mountains, in advance of any further expansion of the scheme.