Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Mulherin. Perhaps you might furnish the committee with a copy of that statement, if you would not mind. Before I bring Senator Garvey back in, I wish to say that from my own experience of engaging with Tidy Towns, the provision for biodiversity has had a powerful impact right across the State. This is not just visible with areas being co-ordinated, but even with the thinking within Tidy Towns. If it was possible to incorporate the broader themes of the sustainable development goals into the Tidy Towns, and letting the communities themselves come up with the linkages, this could help to really embed that whole concept in community across the country. I am aware that the Department is doing this but perhaps it might look again at how we could incorporate it to a greater extent in the Tidy Towns programme.