Mr. Seán Kirwan:

It depends on the level of protection under existing law. It is a somewhat confusing situation at the moment. All that currently applies in respect of most archaeological sites or other monuments that are protected under the National Monuments Acts is a notification requirement under the record of monuments. For something to be made subject to a consent requirement, the Minister would have to make a preservation order or the site would have to be brought into ownership or guardianship by the Minister or a local authority. As we touched on, there are severe limitations relating to what can be made subject to a preservation order and so on. It has to be in the national interest to do so and there must be a danger. As things stand, the protection for most sites under the National Monuments Acts is quite weak. It is really only two months' notification------