While the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport provides funding for capital investment in tourism, the allocation of these funds are a matter for the board and management of Fáilte Ireland. My Department has no direct role in supporting individual tourism attractions.
Fáilte Ireland administers the Tourism Capital Investment Programme (TCIP) but funds are fully committed under the current TCIP and so Fáilte Ireland is unable to accept new applications for funding at the present.
I am aware that there are plans for the development of way-marked routes and the provision of new links such as footbridges at key locations in the Liffey Valley. These, however, are predominantly recreational infrastructure and are, therefore, primarily a matter for the relevant local authorities.
More generally, the Destination Dublin 2025 Grow Dublin Tourism Alliance, which I have set up under the aegis of Fáilte Ireland with Michael Carey as chairman, will look at a range of measures to support the growth of tourism in Dublin over the next decade.
The designation and establishment of National Parks is a matter for the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The Department of Transport Tourism and Sport has had no contact with that department in this regard.
