4249. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht whether the TidyTowns programme (details supplied) provides participating committees with a common digital tool or methodology for recording structured, geotagged environmental observations; whether resulting data are aggregated or published for policy or research use; whether a voluntary pilot enabling participating committees to collect structured environmental observations, with training, quality assurance and a published national impact report, will be introduced as part of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union before 31 December 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54821/26]

The SuperValu TidyTowns competition commenced in 1958 and has since become Ireland's best known and most successful community led environmental competition. The competition is administered by my Department and is sponsored by SuperValu.

The primary focus of TidyTowns is to encourage communities to improve their local environment and make their area a better place to live, work and visit. The competition is operated across a total of eight categories and is adjudicated by a panel of independent adjudicators.

Of these categories, four specifically link to environmental matters and address groups efforts to address matters such as tidiness and litter control and climate action. The categories are Tidiness and Litter Control, Green Spaces and Landscaping, Nature and Biodiversity in your locality and Sustainability – Doing more with less.

There are no plans to introduce a digital tool or methodology to the Tidy Towns competition in the manner outlined. Rather, Tidy Towns Groups are given the freedom to outline their work in an entry form and detail their activities in each competition year. Each year, an adjudicator then reviews projects or initiatives undertaken by each group in a competition year.

Groups are encouraged to undertake 'citizen science' projects, and are advised to seek expert guidance from their local authorities and other expert bodies in this regard.

The Department also runs a special awards programme in conjunction with the main competition and has partnered with agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Leave No Trace, the Gum Litter Task Force and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. These special awards also reward community efforts to address litter control and climate action.