Mr. Seán Carpenter:

I thank the Minister of State and the Senator. There will be a process to be followed after the finding of prescribed monuments. There will be a requirement to make a declaration within a specified timeframe. It is proposed that it will be an offence if this declaration is not made. At the same time, defences will be available to people if it is not perhaps clear that a prescribed monument has been found. On the process, once the information has been supplied, the Minister or An Garda Síochána will issue a request to the findee, perhaps requiring additional information about the circumstances of the find or some more details around the structure of the site. That will be due to be returned within a specified timeframe. That might lead to an actual inspection of the area, structure or site that is believed to a monument. The process that has to be followed will be clearly set out under the proposed Bill.