Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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97. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide an update on the actions taken under Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors - National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56047/25]

Edward Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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110. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for an update on the national outdoor recreation strategy, with particular emphasis on the walks scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56038/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 110 together.

Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, the National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023- 2027, was published in November 2022. The strategy was developed in collaboration with Comhairle na Tuaithe, the Countryside Council, and is a collaborative cross-Government, stakeholder-led strategy.

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. Collaboration and stakeholder engagement was critical to the successful development of the strategy, and to its delivery to date.

The implementation of the strategy is being jointly led by my Department and Sport Ireland. Progress in delivering the strategy is being monitored through a strategy oversight group and quarterly meetings of Comhairle na Tuaithe.

The 2nd Progress report which provides an update on all strategy actions due to be delivered up to the end of June 2025 will shortly be published on my Department’s website. There has been good progress reported on most of the actions assigned for delivery up to mid-2025. Indeed, I spoke at the national outdoor recreation conference earlier this year and it was clear from the event that there are great steps being taken across the country to grow the sector for both economic, social and health benefits.

Some of the progress worth highlighting includes the new county structures that are being put in place to support outdoor recreation throughout each county. This includes the establishment of new County Outdoor Recreation Committees and the development of an Outdoor Recreation Plan in each county. These plans will guide the development of outdoor recreation in each county over the next 5 years. My Department is providing funding to support the development of the plans and, so far, 22 counties have commenced work on their plans.

Funding has also been provided for 6 County Outdoor Recreation Officer positions on a pilot basis for 3 years to co-ordinate the development and delivery of the county outdoor recreation plans in the selected counties. The pilot will be evaluated to consider if these positions should be rolled out further.

Other progress worth noting includes the amendments to the Occupiers Liability Act which help to limit the risk to landholders from those accessing land for recreational purposes. These amendments brought in important changes in respect of the duty of care provisions on landholders and included new reference to the voluntary assumption of risk. Comhairle na Tuaithe has developed an information booklet to explain these important reforms to farmers and recreational users.

Another key action in the strategy was the commitment to expand the number of trails on my Department’s Walks Scheme to 150. This is in recognition of the value of outdoor recreation amenities, not just for individual and community wellbeing, but also for the tourism impact these trails have on a local economy.

164 trails have now been approved in principle to join the Scheme, which exceeds the commitment in the strategy. To date, 112 of these trails have been fully brought onto the Scheme with 2,679 participant landowners now signed up. Work is ongoing to bring on the rest of the trails as soon as possible.

This is only a snapshot of some of the progress on the strategy to date. My Department, in conjunction with Sport Ireland will continue to implement the remaining strategy actions to address the challenges and support the opportunities of this exciting and growing sector.