Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

There are 120,000 recorded monuments in the country, and only 1,000 of them are owned by the State. The vast majority are not accessible and are not cared for in a proper way. Perhaps the biggest example of that is recent evidence from independent experts which has been presented to our party's Senator Grace O'Sullivan, showing the damage done to Skellig Michael in recent years. Damage has been done both to the wildlife, despite it being a special protected area for bird life, and also to the physical archaeology there.

The only interest Fine Gael seems to have in heritage matters is in progressing the Heritage Bill 2016, which it has placed before the Dáil. That Bill is about burning our uplands and cutting our hedges in a way that threatens wildlife. Could the Taoiseach hold that Bill back at this stage and recognise that it is a deeply flawed piece of legislation? Instead of forcing it through, could he introduce a heritage Bill which actually develops and protects our natural heritage sites in a cohesive and comprehensive way? Why is the Taoiseach burning and cutting up our heritage rather than protecting it, which is what he should be doing?

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