Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 870: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding the nomination for the inscription of Clonmacnoise as a World Heritage Site and the preparation of the draft management plan for same; the dialogue that has taken place regarding the formal nomination for same including with the local communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11667/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Draft nomination documentation for the Monastic City of Clonmacnoise and its cultural landscape was submitted by my Department to UNESCO in September 2008 to obtain feedback on the approach and the specific criteria being proposed for qualifying the site for inscription on the World Heritage List. At that time a presentation on the draft nomination was made to a meeting of Offaly County Council, and a public information meeting was arranged for the local community in regard to the proposed nomination process.

A draft Management Plan for Clonmacnoise has recently been submitted to my Department by consultants ERA Maptec. I intend to make the draft Management Plan and the draft nomination documentation publicly available. Members of the Oireachtas, local public representatives, interest groups and the public will accordingly have an opportunity to make submissions on the draft Plan and documentation. In addition information sessions in relation to the nomination will be arranged.

Consultation with all relevant stakeholders and interested parties is an integral part of the World Heritage nomination process and this consultation will be undertaken prior to any formal nomination of Clonmacnoise for inscription being made to UNESCO.