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

I will respond to both Deputies. I hope I can provide assurance further to the note I read out about the National Monuments Advisory Council. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan spoke about Carrickmines. It was an exceptional find and legitimate concerns were raised about it. It is certainly not typical of what happens generally; it was exceptional. There is no doubt that it is an important site. The vast majority of the licences are issued to return a site back to its original condition. Test excavations would avoid the impact of development on archaeological sites rather than cause the removal of sites. Most excavations of sites are not really suitable for preservation. As we said the last day, archaeological excavation is by its nature a destructive process. With the INSTAR+ programme, we have an opportunity to use any of the finds we are getting from these sites to add to our research body of work and to make that available for the public which is highly valuable.

The voluntary model for an advisory body, as was constituted by the NMAC, really would not work in a contemporary situation. What we are doing here with the Heritage Council's role and ability to bring in outside expertise is far more robust. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan is correct that within both the current staffing and board there is additional archaeological experience on the board of the Heritage Council. Even with both of those, they may not have the range of expertise required. It has the ability to consult as required based on the site it is tasked to look at.

In response to Deputy Gould, there are examples across the country. These buildings are an issue for the local authorities under the record of protected structures which is a separate process. I believe that every local authority should have a county archaeologist. We certainly do not have enough of them. It is something we are considering as we try to expand and ask our local authorities to look at expanding their heritage teams and heritage divisions. Having a county archaeologist is a vital piece of the jigsaw to give added protection for our monuments.