Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 14 November 2023
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action
Citizens' Assembly Report on Biodiversity Loss: Discussion (Resumed)
Mr. Niall ? Donnch?:
The private corporation sold us the 520-acre site. The corporation will not be on the site. We will be the outright owners of the site so any activity carried out there will be carried out by the NPWS.
There are several thousand years of archaeological history there as well. There is built heritage and archaeological heritage, so that would be managed by our colleagues in the National Monuments Service and the Office of Public Works. There will be no private involvement in any ongoing research. We have bought the entire site. We have bought the research and the intellectual property around the research. Dr. Bleasdale can speak to the point in terms of any furtherance of that research. Colleagues were incredibly impressed by the results that were achieved there with the approach being taken. The State now owns that research and the intellectual property associated with it.