Michael Kennedy (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)
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I refer to this very important issue and, in particular, to the issue of the Drumanagh archeological site in Loughshinny, north County Dublin, along the coastline. This area is reckoned to be a Roman fort according to some experts and academics. There is a national monument and it has a Martello tower, built in 1803, which is a protected structure. What action can the Minister of State take to prevent vandalism of the site, in particular by motor cycle riders who are destroying the land and, worse still, people using metal detectors. It is a very serious issue and one local resident and the local historical society, the Loughshinny & Rush Historical Society is very concerned about it.

How can access be blocked off from the bikers who are coming on site? How can these fortifications be fenced off? What warning signs can the national monuments service erect and how can fines be applied to offenders? The State should acquire this land, but in the short term we must take action to stop the vandals on bikes and those using metal detectors. I put it to the Minister of State that we need urgent action on the matter.

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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The heritage services of the Office of Public Works is responsible for managing and maintaining more than 750 national monuments in State care and providing full interpretative facilities and guide services at 60 sites, which attract more than 2.5 million fee-paying visitors annually. Our built heritage is, therefore, a source of great pride and inspiration for all our citizens, who rightly demand that we protect and celebrate it. The job of the OPW is to ensure that through its work of conservation, protection and interpretation, this heritage survives to be passed on to future generations.

Public access to heritage attractions has a high priority and much effort has been made to improve access and information at all built heritage sites. Visitors' first-hand experience of sites fosters an appreciation of their special qualities. The presentation programmes appeal to a wide range of visitors, young and old. The approach to providing visitor facilities at sites is founded on a conservation ethos. Management of areas of national importance for heritage, including visitor access, is underpinned by the overall objective of conservation. Besides the provision of a guide service at major sites to protect these monuments, caretakers are employed at other sites, especially in urban environments or where there are issues of access. These caretakers report any vandalism to the district organisation. All other monuments in State care are inspected on a regular basis and basic works programmes of maintenance and conservation are drawn up on the basis of such regular inspections.

The district organisation is operated on a geographical basis. The country is divided into six regions. The bulk of the conservation and restoration work undertaken at national monuments in State care is carried out by a direct labour force operating from the six regional depots at Athenry, Dromahair, Trim, Kilkenny, Mallow, and Killarney. Each region has a depot, which is managed by a works manager who reports to the senior architect for the region. The works manager is in charge of a team of industrial staff.

Of the 14,000 national monuments in Ireland, approximately 750 are in State ownership or guardianship and are under the care and management of the OPW. Separate to the heritage services of the Office of Public Works, the national monuments service of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government plays a key role in the protection of our archaeological heritage.

The national monuments service is responsible for identifying and designating monuments; implementing legislative provisions in respect of protection of monuments; implementing protective and regulatory controls, including licensing of excavations and issuing of ministerial directions and consents under the National Monuments Acts; and providing heritage advice to planning and other consent authorities in respect of individual planning and other development applications, projects and plans. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responsible for the protection of our archaeological heritage, including the licensing of archaeological excavations, through the exercise of powers under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2004. Monuments are protected under the National Monuments Acts in a number of ways including national monuments which are subject to a preservation order, historic monuments or archaeological areas recorded in the register of historic monuments, and monuments recorded in the record of monuments and places. When the owner or occupier of a property or any other person proposes to carry out, or to cause, or to permit the carrying out of any work at or in respect of a recorded monument, he or she is required to give notice in writing to the Minister two months before commencing that work. This is to allow the national monuments service time consider the proposed works and how best to proceed to further the protection of the monument.

In 2009, there were more than 100 reports to the national monuments service, which investigates reports it receives of damage to archaeological monuments and any possible offences under the relevant Acts arising from such damage. Each verified report results in an inspection and report on the condition of the monument and, where appropriate, the landowner or other interested parties are contacted in respect of appropriate follow up action. However, in the case of national monuments in the care of the Office of Public Works, it is open to the OPW to restrict temporarily unsupervised public access to monuments where vandalism or other hazards are a recurring problem, although this is always regrettable, to protect the structure or visitors to it and to allow reinforced precautionary measures, where available, to be put in place. For national monuments in the ownership or guardianship of the Minister or a local authority or which are subject to a preservation order, the prior written consent of the Minister is required for any works at or in proximity to the monument.