John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I thank Deputy Andrews for raising this important issue for the city of Dublin. I fully agree that Georgian Dublin is of great cultural significance to this city. It is internationally accepted that Dublin has made an extraordinary contribution to world literature. It was, and continues to be, a city where people write and is the setting for texts of international significance such as O'Casey's dramatic trilogy and Joyce's Ulysses.

Dublin has evolved over the years and is now a thriving multicultural city of social, cultural and economic activity. I am aware that Dublin is currently seeking designation as a UNESCO city of literature. Dublin City Council is considering the introduction of new policies within the development plan that include increasing public awareness of the heritage plan, promoting access to heritage sites, exploring UNESCO potential and the protection of Dublin's Georgian squares, particularly Mountjoy Square and Parnell Square. This is very welcome news.

As Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, I am responsible for world heritage policy matters under the convention for the protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage adopted in 1972 by UNESCO. The convention was ratified by Ireland in 1991. I have responsibility for the process of identification and nomination to the world heritage list of those properties in Ireland, which are considered to be of outstanding universal value and meet the UNESCO criteria for world heritage designation.

A tentative list is an inventory of those properties which a state party intends to consider for nomination to the world heritage list in the next five to ten years. Ireland's current tentative list dates back to 1992. UNESCO recommends that state parties to the world heritage convention resubmit tentative lists to UNESCO at least every ten years. Last October, I established an expert advisory group to carry out a review of the current tentative list and to identify those properties around the country which the group considered best meet the criteria required for inscription on the world heritage list.

The expert advisory group has considered properties on the current tentative list and other properties around the country, including Georgian Dublin, on the basis of detailed reports compiled by members of the group or by experts commissioned by the group. Members of the public and interested groups were also invited to submit potential properties for inclusion on the new tentative list. Thirty one such proposals were received and assessed by the expert advisory group.

The expert advisory group has now finalised a draft new tentative list which contains the details of the properties which the group considers are of outstanding universal value, meet the UNESCO world heritage inscription criteria in terms of integrity and authenticity and have the best potential for future inscription on the world heritage list.

I can confirm that "Dublin - A Georgian City and its Literary Tradition" is on the draft new tentative list of potential nominees to the world heritage list. This list was published in the daily newspapers and on my Department's website yesterday, inviting comments on the draft list. Following the receipt and assessment of comments and submissions received by the expert advisory group, the new tentative list will be submitted to me for my approval with a view to the forwarding of the list to UNESCO. I can confirm, in response to the specific question asked by the Deputy, that we are taking comments from the public. That was the purpose of the newspaper advertisements. If people log on to the Department's website, they will find an e-mail address they can use to transmit their comments on this matter. If the Deputy has any further questions, I will be happy to answer them.

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