Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 404: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when he will publish the interim report, prepared by UNESCO, on the Skellig Michael, World Heritage Site, which his Department received in February 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21824/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Following consultations with UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, a UNESCO expert was invited by my Department to undertake a mission to Skellig Michael between 26-28 November 2007 to examine the state of conservation of the monastic remains at the Site. The report of the mission will be released following its presentation and formal endorsement at the 32nd Session of the World Heritage Committee which takes place from 2 to 10 July 2008 in Québec City, Canada. At that stage, the Report will be posted to UNESCO's World Heritage website at whc.unesco.org and will also be made available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie. My Department, in agreement with the World Heritage Centre, made a brief media statement following completion of the mission, which concluded that "whilst the works have transformed the appearance of these remains, they are justifiable and that the Outstanding Universal Value of the site remains intact".