Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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595. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the engagement that she has had with the stakeholders of Gearagh, County Cork the allocation of outdoor tourist investments under the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme for the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38775/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) provides funding for the development and enhancement of outdoor recreational infrastructure such as trails, walkways, cycleways, blueways and bridleways in rural areas.

Earlier this year, I launched the 2022 Scheme with a budget of €15 million to support outdoor recreation projects nationwide.

The Measures being funded under this year’s Scheme are:

Measure 1: Small Scale Repair/Development/Promotion and Marketing (Grant Amounts: Up to €30,000.)

Measure 2: Medium Scale Repair/Upgrade and New Trail/Amenity Development (Grant Amounts: Up to €200,000)

Measure 3: Strategic Large Scale Repair/Upgrade and New Strategic Trail/Amenity Development (Grant amounts: Up to €500,000)

Project Development Measure: Development costs for Strategic large Scale Projects (Grant amounts: Up to €500,000).

Since the formation of my Department in 2017, funding of over €4.6 million has been approved under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme for Cork City and County.

The 2022 Scheme is now closed for applications under all measures and assessments are currently under way. I am not aware of any recent direct engagement between local stakeholders and my Department in relation to the site alluded to by the Deputy. However, it should be noted that applications under ORIS are developed and submitted to my Department by local authorities and local development companies, and all applications are required to demonstrate a collaborative approach, working with the local community and stakeholders.