Seán Sherlock
Ceist:61. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the fund for tidy towns will increase to reflect the lower number of outdoor staff in local authority areas. [62548/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 15 December 2022
Ceisteanna (61)
Freagraí scríofa
The Supervalu TidyTowns competition is a unique community movement which has a huge impact on our communities throughout Ireland. It is an extremely effective and important sustainability initiative in Ireland, both from an environmental and community perspective. It encourages communities to improve their local environment and make their area a better place to live, work and visit. The competition has evolved in recent years, widening its focus to supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
TidyTowns groups contribute to making places great locations to live, work or indeed visit. They do this with the support of local businesses, voluntary groups, schools and indeed the entire community.
At the national awards ceremony in the RDS in October, I was delighted to announce Trim, Co Meath as Ireland's Tidiest Town for 2022. At the event I also announced a funding package of €1.4 million to support TidyTowns groups in their initiatives for the 2023 competition. This funding brings the total allocation by my Department since 2017 to €8.1 million in direct funding to over 1,000 TidyTowns groups.
The voluntary effort and dedication of each TidyTown group is also typically supported by the local authority in which a given group operates. However, my Department has no role in relation to the employment of outdoor staff in local authorities.