John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)

I thank Senator Noonan for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan. I acknowledge the Senator's contribution to the sector during his time as Minister of State with responsibility for nature, heritage and electoral reform. The Department is of course aware of the important commitment in the programme for Government to undertake a review of the Heritage Act 1995, the primary purpose of which was to establish the Heritage Council. The Heritage Council provides a hugely valuable service to the public in raising awareness and understanding of our rich natural, built, archaeological and cultural heritage, in supporting community organisations and heritage professionals through grant and other funding, and in providing expert advice to the Government on a wide range of matters relating to heritage policy.

Much has changed in the 30 years since the passing of the Heritage Act and the time is right now to review its provisions to ensure both the Heritage Council and the sector as a whole can continue to deliver for all sections of Irish society. The Act provides that the function of the Heritage Council shall be to propose policies and priorities "for the identification, protection, preservation and enhancement of [our] national heritage”. It specifies that the national heritage should be understood to include “monuments, archaeological objects, heritage objects, architectural heritage, flora, fauna, wildlife habitats, landscapes, seascapes, wrecks, geology, heritage gardens and parks and inland waterways.” The definition of heritage provided for in the Act focuses very much on physical objects - the Senator referenced this in his opening comments - and omits to mention less tangible aspects such as folklore, oral history and traditional skills and practices. In light of the important work both ongoing and yet to be undertaken in these areas, this is certainly a topic the proposed review will consider. The Act goes on to outline the particular role the council should play in promoting interest, appreciation, knowledge and pride in our national heritage and in co-operating with other public bodies and co-ordinating all activities related to its functions. Emphasis is placed on the role of the council in promoting appreciation and enjoyment of our heritage, a responsibility it discharges very effectively through excellent initiatives such as National Heritage Week and the community heritage grant scheme.

In considering how things have changed since 1995, I acknowledge the particular and growing importance of biodiversity, natural heritage and cultural heritage, particularly that of immigrant communities and historically marginalised groups. The Heritage Council already plays an important role in both of these areas through its funding for local authority biodiversity officers, the National Biodiversity Data Centre and its ongoing work on museum standards, archives, oral histories and the national Traveller heritage plan, among other initiatives.

A review of the Heritage Act is a new Government commitment and the Department is reorganising staff responsibilities to ensure it is appropriately resourced. Our intention is to establish a working group this year to commence the review. The working group, which will include representation from the Heritage Council, will seek to identify and prioritise areas where any shortcomings in the Act create a practical hindrance to the work of the council and to consider whether opportunities exist to streamline and make more effective the work of the sector as a whole. The immediate task of the working group will be to define the scope of the Heritage Act review, at which point it will be possible to provide further detail on the process and timelines to be followed. I know this is an area on which the Senator will keep close attention.