Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for that information but what we need is a structure that makes information and resources accessible to communities that want to act. Communities like Ballina have plans in place and they want to start acting on them, involving the people of the town and the wider region. I would love to get some information from the Minister on the status of the community green flag initiative and the various other initiatives I mentioned such as the challenge call, the environmental fund and the local environmental innovation fund. We must put a structure in place that communities will find easy to access. These community initiatives are being led by volunteers who are passionate about their communities and about the environment. They want to make sure that the environment is there for the next and subsequent generations to enjoy. They are busy people and we need to engage them. The Minister of all people knows that when the passion is there to act, we need to act quickly and put supports in place. A national competition would rally communities. It is not a case of winning but of raising awareness and giving a sense of achievement. It would provide a target for communities and encourage them to put plans in place, knowing that there is funding available at the end to implement those plans.

This week Ballina lost a community champion, the late Mr. Cyril Collins, the founding chairman of the Belleek Woods Enhancement Project. Belleek Woods is one of the biggest urban woods in the country and Mr. Collins, together with a number of his friends and colleagues, as well as Coillte and the Minister's Department, transformed the woods. He went to his eternal reward this week and in his memory I would love to see a long-term structure put in place that will inspire more people like him to take on protecting and minding the environment of towns like Ballina for the next generation.

See this speech in context