Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

That would be helpful. It is something I would be supportive of. It is not only for a tourist or a visitor to a town. People who live in a town can sometimes become blind to the heritage in it because they are so used to it. You become used to a certain piece of scenery because you see it, and if you have been away for a while and you come back, you kind of get that "Wow" feeling again. When you are walking around your own town or village or your own local area, to see those little plaques on the wall to remind you of a previous generation, previous events and how your town evolved over the years is important to civic pride and an appreciation of heritage. I was going to ask about the national biodiversity database but Ms Teehan has covered that.

My last question is on the planning system. Where we often see buildings of architectural significance and even protected structures damaged, sometimes to a minor degree in terms of the work that is done but from a visual perspective it is quite stark, does the planning system offer enough protection to our protected buildings and architectural conservation areas and, in general, to heritage buildings that may not have official designation? It probably comes down to the enforcement section of planning. You can badly damage a protected structure quickly through construction work that can take a long time to restore and take a long time for enforcement to get the actions needed to restore it.

Does Dr. Moloney think the planning system protects our heritage buildings and protected structures?