Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the good intention behind this amendment. I wholeheartedly agree we all have a duty to protect our heritage.

As has been confirmed multiple times during the Bill's passage through the Oireachtas, the enacted Bill will not only give effect to many aspects of the Valletta Convention, but it is the main vehicle the State will use to give effect to the convention. It goes beyond what the convention requires in respect of archaeological heritage. I ask the Deputy to consider the scope of the Bill, the different types of interest it provides for - archaeological, architectural, cultural and historic - and the wide-ranging powers to protect not only sites and structures, but also sites where it is reasonable to believe that monuments may be located. I am confident that no part of the Bill runs contrary to the Valletta Convention. For this reason, I am unable to accept the amendment.

The Deputy may recall that, on Committee Stage, I provided a useful table comparing the Bill with the objectives of the convention. The table set out that we were going above and beyond. By their nature, conventions are vague because they are trying to be catch-alls to ensure broad acceptance by many different signatory nations. With this Bill, I am confident we are not only giving effect to the Valletta Convention, but we are going above and beyond what we signed up to.

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