John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for commencing this legislation in the Seanad. It is always a positive step to initiate legislation in Seanad Éireann. This House affords the breathing space and room for the debate to thoroughly examine this legislation, as was the case with the Oireachtas joint committee, on which I sit.

As the Minister of State outlined in his opening statement, the Bill is an important milestone. It seeks to modernise our historic and archaeological heritage legislation. It provides for a single, integrated licensing system and statutory codes of practice. It also confers legal protections on new finds of archaeological sites. It also provides for the State to be able to ratify some key international conventions. The Act of 1930 has served the State well but over time, it has been significantly amended. As a result, some conflicts exist in the legislation. It is a major body of work; the Bill includes 12 parts and over 240 pages. I commend the Minister of State and his officials for the significant work that has gone into modernising this legislation.

As Senator Fitzpatrick mentioned, our heritage is part of who we are. I consider myself very fortunate to come from Waterford, the oldest city in Ireland, the birth place of our Tricolour, which we will be celebrating in the company of the Taoiseach in two weeks' time. When Thomas Francis Meagher was unveiling the Tricolour in 1848 he said, "The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between [the Irish Protestant] and [the Irish Catholic] and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics may be clasped in ... heroic brotherhood." This statement is as relevant today as it was when it was said in 1848.

The Minister of State has visited many sites. We in Waterford are only a short drive away from him in Kilkenny. He has seen first-hand the magnificent work carried out by Waterford City and County Council and the OPW in renovating and upgrading the Viking Triangle. We also have the Medieval Museum; the Bishop's Palace museum; the Irish Museum of Time, which the Minister of State opened last year; and the Irish Silver Museum, which is housed in the Deanery building. The latest project for which the Department has provided funding is the Museum of the Irish Wake, which will be housed in one of the oldest building in Ireland having been carefully restored. That rich heritage and culture is something we all value. Everyone has examples of sites in their own areas that they are immensely proud of. Funding for the restoration for historic buildings is vitally important. We need to see significantly more resources going into that area. I know this is something the Minister of State is committed to.

I refer to the draft planning and development Bill 2022, which Senator Boyhan mentioned earlier. It is another significant Bill running to nearly 800 pages in length. The Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage is doing pre-legislative scrutiny on it at the moment and there is a piece on the record of protected structures. The Bill will allow for additions and deletions at any point, which is something I really welcome. During pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill yesterday, I referred to section 257 that allows for works to be carried out on a protected structure. Generally, one is looking for a determination by a local authority to allow for such works to take place. They are typically minor works. The difficulty is that a period of 12 weeks is provided for in the legislation and the advantage of taking that route is negated. People generally make the decision to go for a full planning application, which clogs up the planning process.We need to look at a revised timeframe. I ask the Minister of State to take that back to the Department in the context of the other Bill. It is related and relevant so I had to cite it here.