Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I did not realise we could be in the committee room again this week so I apologise for attending via video link.

I have several questions. I want to focus on the definition of a national monument and this question is specifically for An Taisce. Does An Taisce think the definition is broad enough to incorporate more recent national monuments in order to protect both heritage and built heritage for future generations? It is something we might not consider to be particularly special but future generations might. I am going through the list of national monuments in Dublin, and I note Deputy Ó Snodaigh’s presence and his long campaign to have Moore Street designated as a national monument. My question is specifically around the designation of a national monument and whether An Taisce has any suggestions about how to broaden that.

My second question is not directly related and I am going to relay some of my own experience of trying to get things onto the record of protected structures. I imagine An Taisce runs into the same difficulties when it comes to national monuments. One example was in regard to a building which is part of our industrial heritage, which Ireland does not have lot of, and that is the Player Wills building in Dublin 8. The first line that came from developers was that it is not an important building, it is not architecturally significant and it did not need to be put on the record of protected structures. Of course, the developer paid for a developer's report and the developer’s report came back and said that, no, it had no architectural significance. It was very difficult for me to push the local authority to do its own conservation report on it when the developer was not letting the local authority onto the site.

When it comes to problems and issues like that with regard to national monuments, what are the suggestions of An Taisce? How could this Bill be amended so it is almost taken out of the hands of a local authority, for example, if it does not want to add anything because it sees it is impacting on an infrastructure project, or if the developer does not want to act? How could this Bill be strengthened so that places that should go on the record do go on the record?

Does the Local Authority Archaeologists Network think the local authorities are sufficiently supported and staffed to take on the amount of current work in terms of national monuments or heritage protection?

I will leave it at that. There is a lot in those questions but if I have some further time, the Chair can come back to me.