Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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69. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the steps her Department is taking to support the development of walking and cycling trails, greenways and outdoor swimming facilities under her Department's Embracing Ireland's Outdoors Strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9227/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, the new National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027,was launched last November. The Strategy was developed in collaboration with Comhairle na Tuaithe and is a collaborative cross-Government, stakeholder-led strategy. It reflects the views of stakeholders, the public, and the whole of Government and it sets the stage to strengthen and support the sustainable development of the outdoor recreation sector in Ireland for years to come.

There is an undoubted increase in the appetite for the outdoors and an enhanced awareness of the physical and mental health benefits from participation in outdoor recreation. A growing wealth of trails, cycleways, greenways and outdoor recreation infrastructure has been developed in recent years thanks to significant levels investment across Government.

Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors will ensure that there is a joined up and coordinated approach to deliver maximum impact from the significant investment in the sector and to build on the natural advantages in place. From a strategic perspective, implementation of Embracing Ireland's Outdoorswill be led by my Department and Sport Ireland and progress will be overseen by Comhairle na Tuaithe.

At a programme funding level, my Department's Outdoor Recreational Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) and Walks Scheme play a key role in the sustainable development of outdoor recreation.

ORIS provides funding for the development and enhancement of outdoor infrastructure such as trails, walkways, cycleways, blueways and bridleways throughout rural Ireland. Since 2016, over €106 million has been awarded to more than 1,500 projects under ORIS. I am pleased to have secured increased funding for ORIS of €16 million in 2023, a €1 million increase on 2022. I hope to open the Scheme later this year.

In addition, under Embracing Ireland's Outdoors it is proposed to expand the Walks Scheme from 80 trails to 150. The 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. I hope to open an expression of interest call for new trails under the Scheme later this year.