Dr. Mark Clinton:

I could not agree more. We are very fortunate to have a very interested and committed Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage at this point in time. It is such a relief. In my tenure, I think I have fielded against seven Ministers. Theoretically, the Minister with responsibility for heritage, however it is designated at the time, has this brief and responsibility but the differences between the seven were notable. Right now, we have a good Minister. We are all afraid of what is coming next. One hopes for the best.

I think we covered the Valletta convention well. It is a great agreement. I have been reading it for years. When Ireland ratified, I had been waiting for the opportunity. We have been waiting for the Bill to finally arrive. I was amazed when I read the heads. The convention is there, which is excellent, but where is its friend? Where is the Valletta Convention? Anyone who reads it will see how good it is. It addresses points raised by Deputy Ó Snodaigh earlier about landscape and the context, as Mr. Lumley said. Dr. Greene referenced the dry summer. Suddenly one realises that the monument over there and this one here are actually connected but it takes a lot of detailed study, analysis and expert input. One can gather the data but then it is a question of who quantifies and qualifies it. Archaeology is like a running gag. If one does not know the answer to the question, one just says "not my period" but within the joke, there is the truth.

I would like to think I know a lot about certain aspects of archaeology but I do not know that much about things like wedge tombs. I certainly would not be qualified to give a lecture on one. Therefore, we must draw on as many experts as possible. If experts are out there, we should use them. We certainly saw that when the Irish economy was under threat. The late lamented former Minister, Brian Lenihan, consulted and availed of the expertise of anyone he thought had a valuable input that could come to the rescue of the State. We have all these serious archaeologists in the universities etc. outside of the public service. We must draw on their knowledge otherwise what are we doing - ignoring it? Having a degree in archaeology is only a starting point. One then has to specialise. Specialising gives one the authority on that subject.