Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

We have a very good archaeology policy, the best in Europe.

Since the start of the NDP in 2000, 46 projects, comprising 327 kilometres of road, have been completed and there are 20 projects of 196 kilometres currently under construction. There are nine projects of 147 kilometres at tender stage and a further 12 projects of 167 kilometres are either through the statutory process or before An Bord Pleanála.

I welcome the opportunity to present the facts on the M3 Clonee-Kells motorway. The M3 Clonee to north of Kells motorway is a much needed project, consistent with both the national development plan and the national spatial strategy. It is vital infrastructure which will contribute to the ongoing success of the local and regional economy, bring better-balanced regional development, improve safety and access to and from Dublin, the ports and airport. In addition, this project will transform the quality of life for those people living in Dunboyne, Dunshaughlin, Navan and Kells. This project will result in reductions of through traffic of 75% in Dunshaughlin, 78% in Navan and 90% in Kells. It will also benefit everyone living along the existing N3 by removing the majority of the through traffic and associated congestion which currently affects their lives on a daily basis. The present road is not coping with the traffic volumes using the route and the situation will only worsen given the planned development in County Meath and further afield.

I am fully aware of the rich archaeological landscape in County Meath, the importance of the Hill of Tara and its significance to our national heritage. Both Meath County Council and the National Roads Authority are aware of the special place that the Hill of Tara holds in the national consciousness and of their responsibilities to protect it and the cultural heritage of County Meath. A great deal of time, expertise and expense has been expended in developing the M3 motorway scheme through the planning process and every effort has been made to mitigate the impact of the proposed road through the landscape surrounding the Hill of Tara.

As regards the proximity of the motorway to the Hill of Tara, the proposed road passes between the Hill of Skryne to the east and the Hill of Tara to the west. The route was carefully chosen to avoid the important core zone around Tara, which has national monument status. The chosen route lies 1.5 km. to the east of the limit of the record of monuments designated area and east of the existing N3. In other words, the motorway as it passes through the Tara-Skryne Valley will be a greater distance from the Hill of Tara than the existing N3 Dublin-Navan road. The scheme has been designed to minimise physical and visual impacts on the archaeological landscape around Tara.

Great care was taken by Meath County Council and the NRA to avoid any previously recorded or upstanding monuments when planning the route of the M3 project. Statements by various groups stating that the selected route was "the only route that was considered by the NRA" are incorrect. A total of ten route options in four broad corridors were examined as part of the route selection study for the Dunshaughlin-Navan section of the scheme which involves the Tara area. Project planning and assessment of route options was carried out over a period of more than three years. The impact on archaeology, implications for other aspects of the environment, effects on people and their homes, the extent to which farms would be severed, together with traffic, engineering and cost considerations were taken into account in evaluating the ten route options in the Tara area. The archaeological consultants engaged by Meath County Council to advise on route selection concluded that the preferred route which emerged from this process was viable in terms of archaeology. The preferred route was assessed as best or joint best under 14 of the 18 assessment criteria used as part of the environmental impact evaluation process and, accordingly, scored higher on environmental grounds than any alternative route.

The public consultation process saw 4,000 people attend public meetings. The preferred route was subsequently submitted to An Bord Pleanála for consideration. Following a 28-day oral hearing, during which extensive attention was given to archaeology and potential impacts on Tara, the board approved the M3-Clonee-north of Kells road project proposal. In this regard, it should be noted that the decision to approve the proposal was, inter alia, based on the board's conclusion that the motorway scheme "is necessary to provide adequately for the existing and projected traffic growth and would be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area". The board also concluded that the scheme "would not have significant adverse effects on the environment".

I understand that the NRA and Meath County Council are working on arrangements to advance the project to construction in accordance with the approvals obtained from An Bord Pleanála and both are committed to resolving archaeological issues in line with best practice and in a manner that fully complies with any direction which may be given by my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, under the national monuments legislation.

I wish to set out in more detail the extent of the archaeological work carried out on the proposed route. In the case of the M3, a test trench was excavated along the centre line of the 59 km length of the route, with cross trenches being dug every 20 metres. I understand that the National Roads Authority and Meath County Council have carried out extensive archaeological investigations of the route of the M3, including test trenching over virtually the entire 59 km length of the scheme. This work, as would be expected, has identified a number of previously unknown archaeological sites and features. Reports on the sites concerned have been submitted to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to assist him in determining the most appropriate manner in which to deal with the sites concerned. The reports concerned relate to a total of 38 sites on the 15 km section of the route between Dunshaughlin and Navan. The extent to which new sites have been discovered, approximately 2.5 sites per kilometre, is similar to the experience on many other schemes throughout the country and in some cases the incidence of sites on the M3 is substantially less than finds on other national road schemes. For example, on the M1 route, a total of 211 previously unknown archaeological sites were found over a distance of 60 km, an average of 3.5 sites per kilometre. In addition, in the case of the Cashel bypass, which was opened to traffic last month, 100 new sites were located on the 7 km route or 14 per kilometre.

I know that Deputy Gilmore was making a point about the exceptional number of sites, but that is not the case. The number is low relative to what people might have thought. I am just giving the House some other examples. I was aware of this before I left my previous Department. That is not to suggest in any way that the Hill of Tara and the Hill of Skryne are not extremely important. There is no question about that. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is better informed than I am on this. However, a balanced view must be taken of the fact that the level and extensiveness of the sites on this route are not as fulsome as people might have thought. This confirms, in a sense, that great and careful consideration was given to the route chosen, in the first place.

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