Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Tom Hayes. It would appear that the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is busy. I ask that the Minister responsible for Brú na Bóinne, whom I understand to be Deputy Heather Humphreys, would meet a delegation of residents from the area. We are talking here about a very important part of our country and an important site of world heritage, including the Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth areas, which encompasses half of the parish of Slane and almost the entire parish of Donore in County Meath. A major public meeting was organised last week by the Department which I attended with my party colleague, Councillor Wayne Harding. It is fair to say that there was bitter anger among the residents at the way they are being treated. They feel that their entitlement to live in a community and for that community to carry on is being threatened, not just by the actions of the Department but also by the actions of the local authority. Indeed, my colleague, Councillor Harding, will be raising this matter with the local authority again, having done so previously.

Everybody in the Brú na Bóinne area and in County Meath generally is exceptionally proud of the heritage that has been left to us by our forefathers. We have some of the most important works of megalithic art and the most important megalithic tombs in the world. Albeit from a different era entirely, it is the equivalent of the Louvre in terms of the importance of the art there. The art is of the same standard and of equal importance as that in the Louvre, and the community values that enormously. In fact, many members of the community in Brú na Bóinne have worked on the excavations at Newgrange and Knowth or in the interpretative centre, while some continue to work on the bus service that runs between the interpretative centre and the monuments.

Enormous restrictions have been put in place through the actions of the Department and the local authority, particularly with regard to planning for one-off houses. Nobody is looking to develop this area or is calling for mass building or anything like that. All people are looking for is for the life of the community in that area to continue. People want their children to be able to live in the area in which they grew up. We want to preserve this very important heritage but we also want to make sure that the community is preserved there too. It was the forefathers of some of those living in the community who built these monuments and that is a fact. Many of the families to whom I refer have been living in this community since time immemorial.

I would suggest that the Minister should listen to the concerns of the local people. I would hate to think that last week's meeting was a box-ticking exercise for the Department. I hope departmental officials do not feel that the public consultation process is out of the way now and that they can roll ahead with their plans, along with the local authority. I would like last week's meeting to serve as a starting point for meeting some of the requirements of the residents. It should be possible to arrive at a happy medium whereby we preserve the important heritage of Brú na Bóinne while also allowing the indigenous community to thrive. Nobody is looking for outsiders to be allowed to build houses there, nor does anybody want to build housing estates. Nobody wants to build a house that would do any damage to any monument or view in that area. They simply want people to be allowed to live within their own community. That is a very simple request by people who value and treasure the history and heritage of the area more than anybody.

Other concerns raised at the meeting last week related to signage, which has been a disaster for years. There are still no concrete plans by the Department to mark this very important world heritage site with welcome signs and with signage pointing visitors in the direction of the monuments and the interpretative centre. Much of the signage there at present is completely wrong and has been for a long time.

The other concerns expressed related to the fact that the tourism potential of the area has never been fully developed. The community, the local authority and the Department, which has a very important role as the State body dealing with UNESCO on the world heritage site status, could work together and come up with a plan that occupies the middle ground. It should be noted that many members of the community have done a huge amount of groundwork and have an enormous amount to offer. They can make suggestions that would not be contrary to world heritage status but which would complement it and also complement the life of the community.

Will the Minister of State ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to meet a delegation from the community and listen to their concerns in order that last week's meeting does not represent a box-ticking exercise in terms of public consultation?

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for raising this important matter and apologise on behalf of the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Heather Humphreys, who is unavailable due to other commitments outside the House today. However, the Minister is very much aware of the concerns of the Senator.

The UNESCO world heritage committee requires every property inscribed on the world heritage site list to have a management plan or other documented management system in place that explains how its outstanding universal value will be preserved.Outstanding universal value is a fundamental requirement for retaining world heritage status. The Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, issued by UNESCO in July 2013, set out the issues that need to be addressed as part of the management plan for a world heritage site. UNESCO also provides guidelines on what content must go into the plan before it can be submitted to the organisation for approval.

A new draft Brú na Boinne Management Plan, to replace the previous plan that dates back to 2002, has been prepared in accordance with the UNESCO guidelines. The draft needs to be finalised and submitted to UNESCO as soon as possible. In accordance with UNESCO requirements, the main responsibility for implementation of the plan is shared between the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Office of Public Works.

The development of the present draft management plan has taken place over the past four years, during which there have been two periods of public consultation, one of which is still ongoing. Observations were initially invited from the public in April 2011. Fifty-seven submissions were received by the Department, all of which were considered in the course of the drafting that has taken place since. A special public meeting was also held on site in June 2011 to improve community awareness of the plan.

The Brú na Boinne world heritage site management plan steering committee was established by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in 2011 to help oversee the preparation of the management plan. The steering committee, which the Department chairs, is made up of local interest groups, officials from the Department and the OPW, along with representatives from Louth and Meath county councils, Fáilte Ireland, the Heritage Council, the International Council on Monuments and Sites Ireland and An Taisce. Representatives from the Boyne Valley consultative committee and two local elected councillors also sit on the steering committee.

The draft plan sets out the key objectives and future vision for the management of the world heritage site. It provides a framework for the proactive management of the site, helping to ensure that its outstanding universal value is sustained and preserved for future generations. It informs and guides the day-to-day and long-term management of Brú na Boinne.

Agreement has been secured, at steering committee level, for the vast bulk of the actions set out in the current draft plan. One new major initiative is the creation of an enhanced management structure for the Brú na Boinne site that includes a special community forum and other community involvement and oversight in the decision-making process. The community forum will meet at least twice a year to oversee the implementation of the management plan and its proposed actions. The forum will meet at the start of the year to consider and discuss the actions that can be implemented in the coming months, and again at the end of the year, when the Department and the OPW will report on progress made on agreed actions.

The Minister can understand that there are issues that continue to be of concern to some sections of the local community. These include planning, with some community representatives looking for a separate planning system to be put in place for the world heritage site. The draft plan, through consultation, seeks to accommodate all reasonable proposals. Obviously not all aspirations are resolvable through the plan itself. That said, two new actions directly related to planning are included in the draft plan. These mean that there will be special recognition of the world heritage site in the administration of the planning systems in Counties Meath and Louth, with clear, precise and time-bound actions in place in regard to pre-planning consultations with prospective planning applicants. There will also be specific guidance for potential planning applicants on the site and the design of proposed new developments.

The present position of the draft plan is that the Department and the OPW have invited the public to make written submissions which can be lodged any time up to and including 20 March 2015. This is an important process which allows all members of the community to express their views, offer opinions and have their say about what is in the plan. Apart from updating the general strategy for conserving and managing the world heritage site, the public can also comment on how it should address matters such as visitor management and public awareness, research, education, nature conservation, liaison with the local community and sustainable tourism.

All submissions received will be carefully reviewed and considered by the Department. The Minister can assure the Senator that everything that can reasonably be taken on board will be built into the final draft. That element is important to note in terms of the points made by the Senator.

As mentioned previously, the steering group is made up of a number of interested parties and, most importantly, includes local representatives. I urge the Senator, as a public representative, to use this structure, which we do not use often enough. Public representatives or Oireachtas Members should consult the local public representatives that are part of the group. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, encourages all concerned to avail of this opportunity for public input and to take part in the public consultation process. I will relate the Senator's points to the Minister. The consultation process that is in place should be availed of first.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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We are afraid that the public consultation process is merely a box-ticking exercise. The evidence for such a belief is that the project was started back in 2011 and, as the Department's officials admitted at a meeting last week, very little has happened since. The Department was restructured and there was a move from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, etc. The sections do not seem to have moved offices too much.

As I have said already, there was bitter anger at the meeting due to the way this project has panned out. The local councillors and residents on the consultative committee are not happy. In fact, some of them are very angry. As I suggested in my request, which was left unanswered, it would go a long way if the Minister were to meet the people, or even a delegation of those who are or have been members of the consultative committee, and the local councillors. It would mean a lot if she could meet them and listen directly to their concerns. Such a meeting would also be an opportunity for her to hear their sincere appreciation for the world heritage site, which is an acknowledgement of the location's beauty, history and art. Let there be no mistake about that. If she met them as part of the consultative process it would go a long way. No reasonable Minister could fail to be moved by the stories of sons and daughters, nieces and nephews having to move out of a community. The Minister of State would not put up with such a situation in his county of Tipperary or in any rural area. It is unfair that this parish and a half must put up with such a situation.

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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I have listened to what the Senator has said, and I understand his concerns and that of the people. It seems to me, having listened to him, that the local residents are deeply concerned about the project. The best process for him to follow is to make sure and encourage residents to put their issues on paper and consult with the local public representatives who are on the committee. I have a deep understanding of the situation from what he has said. I will convey his concerns to the Minister and can assure him that she will take all of his concerns on board.

At the end of the process there may be a reason for a meeting. There is a process in place that should not be interfered with and I encourage the local community to participate. All public representatives can understand that people in a community want to meet a Minister and air their views, but there is a process in place whereby every viewpoint can be listened to and taken on board.

I assure people, notwithstanding their fears, that the Minister will look at and read all of their local concerns. When that process has been finalised there may be room for a meeting. I urge people not to miss the opportunity that presents itself now to make their concerns known. I assure the Senator that I will relate his points and concerns about the project. I live in an area that has the Rock of Cashel, and everyone would love if it were designated a world heritage site. Brú na Boinne has been designated a world heritage site, which is unique, and the people of the region should be very proud.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I have said so a number of times. We are extremely proud of the site and we love it.

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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It is in everybody's interest that we work together. I reiterate that I will relate all of the Senator's concerns that he raised this morning.