Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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623. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total funding provided under the rural walks scheme, by local authority/local authority area, in each of the years 2014 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [40589/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's Walks Scheme was launched in 2008. The Walks Scheme contracts land-holders 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.

Following my announcement in May 2025, which saw an additional 22 trails added to the scheme, there are now 162 trails with approval to participate in the scheme.

The attached table outlines the funding provided by county under the Walks Scheme since my Department was formed in 2017. The scheme is delivered through local development companies rather than local authorities

Prior to that, in 2016 funding of €2.5m was provided to support the Walks Scheme, with €2.6m being provided in 2015 and €2.5m in 2014. County breakdowns are not available for these earlier years.

[Attachment to follow]