Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 605: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the destruction and dismantling in recent weeks of sites of major archaeological significance in the Roestown area of County Meath, ahead of a full assessment being carried out as to whether they met the criteria to be designated as national monuments as laid out in the National Monument Acts. [11402/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Archaeological works at Roestown, Co. Meath have been carried out in accordance with the Directions I issued, on 11 May 2005, under Section 14A of the National Monuments Act 2004 (as amended). No new national monuments were discovered at Roestown in the course of these archaeological works. An archaeologist from my Department inspected the site prior to the removal of a souterrain and confirmed that these archaeological works were being carried out to the required standard. There have been a number of cases in which such sites, which are relatively common in Ireland, have, as in this instance, been preserved by record.

Excavations at Roestown, including the making of three dimensional laser images, are substantially complete. When the final reports of these excavations have been submitted to, and considered by, my Department, I will ensure they are made publicly available in the interests of extending the range and depth of our archaeological knowledge.