Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 January 2021
184. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Transport the engagement he has had with his Northern Irish counterpart in respect of the proposed Sligo-Enniskillen greenway in the context of the new shared island fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1505/21]
View answerI have had very positive engagement with my colleague, Minister Nichola Mallon, MLA, in relation to the proposed Sligo, Leitrim & Northern Counties Greenway, also known as the Sligo-Enniskillen Greenway.
As the Deputy is aware, the greenway is specifically referenced in the New Decade, New Approach agreement made by the Irish and UK Governments and is also, of course, referenced in the Programme for Government – Our Shared Future. Last month’s Plenary Session of the North South Ministerial Council noted progress in relation to the greenway and it has also featured at the Transport Sectoral meeting of the Council held in October, as well as in bilaterals I held with Minister Mallon in the summer.
In July 2020 I announced an allocation of €500,000 for Leitrim County Council under the Carbon Tax Fund, with discussions ongoing in relation to the funding required to bring the project to planning application stage. There is agreement that funding allocated will be used to develop the greenway as one project, North and South, and I very much welcome the agreement between Leitrim County Council and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council to appoint a joint design team.
As the Deputy can see, funding is currently being advanced through my Department’s greenways funding programme; however, clearly there is potential for the project, as it develops further, to be considered eligible for funding under the Government’s Shared Island programme and I expect the matter will be considered further at the appropriate juncture.
