Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I cannot give a specific timeline, but we are progressing it. I can try to revert to the Deputy with a timeline.

Under section 89, the amendment would not alter the general position. The Minister has no role in imposing any public access to privately owned monuments. While dependent on the commencement of the Act and the new register that has to be established, the section will enable the Minister to formally ask the planning authority to consider using its powers under the Planning and Development Act 2000 to create a right of way. The planning authority would then be required to give formal consideration to establishing the right of way. The provision is not in force until the commencement and, even if it were commenced now, it would not be of any use until the new register was established. There are quite a few steps to be progressed until that time. The provision in section 89 will also have to be consequentially amended by the new planning Bill. That is another stage. The section will likely take a different form even before it is commenced.

I have officials from the National Monuments Service engaged on this. I am giving a commitment to try to progress this section of the Act as quickly as possible. The Deputy will appreciate that there are a quite a number of moving parts but we will try to do that as quickly as we can. I stress that, if a local solution can be found by the owners and the local community in the interim, that would be a progressive way forward to ensuring access to the site for the wider community.

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