Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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607. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will seek an increased allocation of €2 million for the walks scheme with an increase in the number of walks supported to 120; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29584/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department administers the Walks Scheme under which landholders receive modest payments for maintenance works on approved trails in line with agreed work plans.

There are currently 39 trails included in the Walks Scheme and, in December last, it was announced that 10 new trails will be added as part of a phased expansion of the scheme. Work Plans are currently being finalised with the landowners on these trails so that they can be formally included under the scheme.

The Programme for Government contains a commitment to expand the Walks Scheme to achieve a target of 80 trails. This will require a further 31 trails to be included in the scheme, over and above the 10 announced in December last.

It is my intention, at present, to meet the commitment in the Programme for Government to expand the scheme to 80 trails before consideration is given to expanding it beyond that number. We have already set a very ambitious target which will result in the number of trails being doubled compared to the position at the start of 2019.

A decision in respect of further trails to be added to the scheme will be taken following the completion of an external review of the Walks Scheme which is currently in train.

Trails that wish to be added to the scheme are invited to submit an Expression of Interest to my Department. There is no closing date for Expressions of Interest at this time, and interested parties can continue to submit proposals for additional trails to be included in the scheme, through their Local Authority or Local Development Company. A trail must meet specific qualifying criteria in order to be considered eligible for the scheme, including being of a suitable standard to be included in Sport Ireland Outdoors' trail register.