Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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2663.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide a detailed cost of the engineer’s report (details supplied) with regard to the study between Monasterevin, County Kildare and Portarlington, County Laois. [31445/24]

Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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2664.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status and progress of a study (details supplied) between Monasterevin, County Kildare and Portarlington, County Laois. [31446/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2663 and 2664 together.

The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) provides funding for the development and enhancement of outdoor recreational infrastructure such as walking trails, cycleways, water-based recreation sites and mountain trails. Since the launch of the scheme in 2016, funding of over €129 million has been awarded to 1,775 projects across the country.

Under the 2022 ORIS scheme, Kildare County Council was awarded funding of €45,000 for the Monasterevin - Portarlington Brownway project. This funding was secured under the Project Development Measure which supports preparatory work required to bring large scale outdoor recreation projects to a shovel-ready stage and ensure a strong pipeline of outdoor amenity projects right across the country.

The Monasterevin - Portarlington Brownway project is a joint initiative between Kildare, Laois and Offaly local authorities to undertake a feasibility study to develop a walking/cycling link between Monasterevin and Portarlington, linking the Grand Canal Greenway and Barrow Blueway.

There has been no funding drawn down on this project todate. My officials have recently been informed by Kildare County Council that this project has experienced delays and that they are in the process of procuring an organisation to deliver the study. The project has already had an extension approved to the end of August, and Kildare County Council have undertaken to revert to my Department with further updates in advance of that date.