John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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189. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will allocate funding to Kerry County Council to allow it to proceed with the Tralee to Fenit greenway now that all land ownership issues have been resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15602/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Kerry Council Council submitted an application to my Department for the construction of Phase 1 of the Tralee-Fenit Greenway under the 2014-2016 National Cycle Network funding programme. While no funding was awarded under that programme, €345,000 was subsequently awarded from the Government Stimulus package 2014 for infrastructural development which allowed Kerry County Council to commence Phase 1, the Rock Street to Casement Station section of the Greenway.

  My Department is aware of the further works required to complete this greenway as is the case in many other Greenway projects around the country. However, it is not intended to issue a further funding call in the immediate future.  As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Partnership Government commits to making additional funding available for greenways and I am pursuing this funding in the context of the mid-term review of the Capital Plan.

In addition, my Department is developing a new Strategy to underpin investment in Greenways and I expect that the Department will go out to public consultation in the near future seeking views on relevant issues to inform the development of the Strategy.  When the capital plan review is finalised and there is clarity on the totality of the funding that will be available for greenways in the coming years, my Department will issue further funding calls and local authorities would then be able to submit projects for funding.