Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I am trying to be helpful in respect of the points the Deputies raised. As they are aware, this Bill is extremely complicated and it has taken some time to get it to where it is today. The two Deputies are essentially correct in what they said. This Bill deals with two matters. We must complete the M50 in respect of the Carrickmines issue and everybody in the House seems to be agreed that we must proceed in that way. As Deputy Gilmore knows, section 14 was struck down, which means there is a vacuum. A wide range of projects is in place at the moment that may require some direction but we simply cannot leave a vacuum whereby there is no responsibility.

It is without foundation to say that I or the Government are in any way interested in bulldozing any monuments. Nothing could be further from the truth and I think all Deputies realise that. They are also fully aware that we will have a major national monuments Bill, hopefully by the end of this year or early next year, to bring all these Acts up to date. We are dealing with legislation that bears no relation to the requirements and infrastructural issues with which we must deal in today's modern Ireland. The Bill before the House caters for the specific needs with which we must deal at the moment. There is no choice in this respect; we must have such legislation in place. I realise that some Members may be referring to other developments that are under way but which have nothing to do with the M50. We must be able to state that all archaeological finds must be protected and that we may have to undertake substantial archaeological assessments in those areas.

Various surveys can be done on routes in many different ways. Before people go on site, modern geophysical assessments can be undertaken, but that does not determine absolutely what may or may not be found when work begins. I would have thought that everybody in the House wanted to ensure that when that happens, there is a mechanism to stop the potential for anyone to bulldoze and construct, as Deputy Gilmore mentioned. We need to stop that happening. There must be a process whereby we can mitigate all the archaeological finds and work with the archaeologists. We have had many discussions with the National Museum, through the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, to ensure that. The museum was insistent that its role should be protected, and I have done that within the provisions of the Bill. The 14-day period was agreed with the National Museum and with the Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, to try to put a timeframe on these matters.

This Bill is primarily about Carrickmines and the completion of the M50. I thought the Labour Party and the Green Party were supportive of that.

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