Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

That there is wide general support on both sides of the House for the establishment of a register of national monuments as proposed in the amendment is obvious from the contributions of Senators Bannon, Ó Murchú and Kitt. The proposal has much merit in that it suggests a clear mechanism for establishing what constitutes a national monument. Only monuments entered on the register would enjoy a greater level of protection. Appropriately, the decision would be assigned clearly to the Minister of the day as the person charged with the protection of our archaeological heritage.

The proposal to establish a register is more complex than the procedures suggested in the amendment. Issues to be considered involve emergency registration, interim protection, public consultation, criteria for entry onto the register, deletion from the register as may be appropriate and the status of existing national monuments. The debate is very wide and involves issues requiring further detailed examination. As I said earlier, I will give serious consideration to the idea of a register in the context of the forthcoming consolidation of the National Monuments Acts. I do not have to remind the House of the reason for this Bill which deals largely with Carrickmines and seeks to overcome the difficulty resulting from the court's decision. As I spelt out earlier and on Second Stage, the officials in my Department are working on a Bill to consolidate the National Monuments Acts. Hopefully, it will be published in the autumn or early next year to come before the Houses.

The idea of a register has a great deal of merit. A pilot study is being carried out in Kilkenny to determine what monuments should or could be entered on a register. Given that the greater area of a mediaeval abbey, the church of which is in the ownership of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, may be in private hands and contain archaeological structures and features, a great deal of thought must be given to this matter.

Reference was made to the grading of monuments for which no formal system exists. Current legislation provides protection for all known and newly discovered monuments under a two-tier system. The first tier involves monuments in the ownership or guardianship of the State or under a preservation order while the second involves all other monuments on the record of monuments and places. The grading of monuments has not been found to be easy in other countries. The Department has established a working group to produce a viable grading system for the 120,000 recorded monuments. That is, of course, the register of monuments and places.

Reference was made to the important role of local authorities, the members of which have a function in relation to listed buildings. I cannot foresee progress being made in the absence of the involvement of local authorities and the private sector which plays an important role in ensuring that artefacts are found during development. I compliment them for their responsible attitude to the preservation of our architectural and archaeological heritage. Today, we are considering a short Bill to strike a balance between the protection of our heritage and the importance of providing an improved structure and the question of heritage is one for another day. I will give serious consideration to the complex issues involved in a register in the context of the forthcoming consolidation Bill.