Sir, – You recently carried an item about the appalling state of the pilgrim route up Croagh Patrick, which badly needs conservation works to render the mountain safer ("Group to appoint consultant for Croagh Patrick work plan", News, July 6th).
However, nothing can be done due to what Mayo County Council says are “liability issues”. We are told that an interdepartmental group at national level is “looking at” an independent scheme for upland areas.
After seven years this is really a bit rich! This is the length of time that the Government-backed Comhairle na Tuaithe (the Countryside Council) has been considering a national indemnity scheme that would indemnify landowners from claims brought by recreational users.
In spite of support from all relevant stakeholders – farming organisations, recreational users, etc – progress has been painfully slow, primarily due the over-cautious approach adopted by the Department of the Environment.
We are quite satisfied that the cost to the State of meeting claims would be minimal as there has been no successful case taken against private or commonage landowners since the passing of the Occupiers’ Liability Act in 1995.
This lack of progress is all too familiar to those of us who have long argued that Ireland is now far behind the rest of Europe in our dismal failure to protect access to the Irish countryside.
The signal failure of Comhairle na Tuaithe to make any real progress in this regard must call the continued existence of this moribund and utterly ineffective quango into doubt. – Yours, etc,
ROGER GARLAND,
Chairman,
Keep Ireland Open,
Dublin 14.