Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy can understand that if there was to be an approach made to the Department, it would have to be done in a formal way, not on the floor of the House, although I appreciate the Deputy's offering. I reiterate that there has not been any reasoned approach to us to purchase this particular area. It is also important to say that the Department will support all initiatives to study ecology, including those of UCC. The State is only in a position to acquire, maintain, conserve and present a limited number of heritage properties and monuments. As I said earlier, it is important to stress that any property acquisition by the State should be regarded as an exception rather than the norm. The Deputy mentioned birds a number of times; protected species are also safeguarded by the Department, as the Deputy is aware. The National Monuments Acts provide a legislative basis for the protection of archaeology in the State, whether or not the monuments are in State ownership. Furthermore, the Archaeological Survey of Ireland maps and updates the data on our archaeological resources on a regular basis. Information on more than 140,000 monuments across the country is currently stored in the Department's sites and monuments record. The National Monuments Acts allow me to place a preservation order on any other important archaeological site or monument that may be at risk.

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As such, there is an extensive protection, as I outlined, for archaeological heritage in the State without a need for acquisition of sites, except in the most exceptional of cases. Acquisition of the whole of High Island would require considerable resource commitment, not just on the part of the Department but also from the Office of Public Works. Whether or not the island is privately owned, my Department will continue to protect the national monument there. It should be said that access to the island is extremely difficult and therefore any acquisition would bring very little benefit in terms of access to the monuments for visitors.

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