Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 405: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason he did not submit the Hill of Tara and the entire revised Ireland's Tentative List of UNESCO sites to UNESCO as promised, for the July 2009 33rd session of the world heritage committee in Seville, Spain. [28622/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 406: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount spent in hiring consultants and reviewing Ireland's list of world heritage sites in the past two years. [28623/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 407: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans in relation to revising Ireland's tentative list of UNESCO sites. [28624/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 408: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the way he or his advisors made a determination of the ability of Tara to become a UNESCO site, before the advisors had visited the site or reviewed the M3. [28625/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 409: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that an organisation (details supplied) nominated the Hill of Tara as a world heritage site, but only on condition that the M3 was rerouted, in view of the fact that it passes through the middle of the proposed world heritage site. [28626/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 410: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on whether UNESCO will accept the Hill of Tara as a UNESCO site with the M3 passing through it. [28627/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 411: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will define the area of the proposed Tara world heritage site. [28628/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 412: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the cost involved if UNESCO demands that Ireland move the M3 motorway, once Tara is declared a world heritage site. [28629/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 413: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has included a consortium (details supplied), the M3 public private partners, in the consultation process for making Tara a world heritage site; and if so, their involvement in relation to same. [28630/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 414: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has included Iarnród Éireann in the consultation process, in view of the fact that the preferred route for Navan-Dublin railway was announced in May 2009 and will be passing through the proposed Tara world heritage site. [28631/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 415: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has included Eirgrid in the consultation process, in view of the fact that the Department of Transport has proposed that the north south electrical connector be placed underground along the M3 or the N3, thereby passing through the proposed Tara world heritage site. [28632/09]

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 427: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he was scheduled to present a revised tentative list to UNESCO at the Seville world heritage committee meeting; if not, when it is required to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28693/09]

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 428: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps taken to have Tara considered a world heritage site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28694/09]

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 430: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding the publishing of the list of potential sites for world heritage site nomination that was to have been published in spring 2009; his views on the inclusion of Tara in this list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28696/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 405 to 415, inclusive, and Questions Nos. 427, 428 and 430 together.

I am aware of some misleading information in the media recently concerning the process of nomination for UNESCO World Heritage status and am pleased to have the opportunity to put the facts on record.

Ireland's Tentative List of potential sites for nomination for inscription on the World Heritage List was last updated in 1992, and does not include the Hill of Tara. Last year I directed my Department to review the 1992 list, and requested that the Tara complex, amongst other sites, be considered for inclusion on a revised list. In December 2007 & April 2008 I arranged for Dr Jukka Jokileht to, a world heritage UNESCO expert, to visit a number of these sites to advise on their suitability for inclusion.

In October 2008 I established an Expert Advisory Group to carry out the review of the Tentative List; consultants have not been engaged by my Department on the review process. Total expenditure by my Department to date on the Tentative List Review is approximately €42,700.

The Expert Advisory Group (EAG) has completed extensive analysis of the sites on the current Tentative List. Members of the public and interested groups were also invited to submit potential properties for inclusion on the new Tentative List. 31 such proposals were received and these were considered and assessed by the EAG.

On the basis of its own analysis, and consideration and assessment of the proposals received from the public and interested groups, the EAG has now finalised a draft new Tentative List which contains the details of the properties which the EAG considers are of outstanding universal value, meet the UNESCO World Heritage inscription criteria in terms of integrity and authenticity and have the best potential for future inscription on the World Heritage List. I expect to be in a position to publish this draft tentative list for public consultation before the end of the month, and I understand that the Hill of Tara is included in this list.

While it was initially envisaged that Ireland's new Tentative List would be submitted to UNESCO in advance of the June 2009 session of the World Heritage Committee, this has not been possible mainly because the review process and World Heritage Committee requirements for the tentative list process have been more complex than at first envisaged. It was also considered better to take more time in preparing a new Tentative List in keeping with UNESCO guidelines and best international practice. I will be forwarding the new Tentative List to UNESCO before the end of this year and it will then be presented at the 34th Session of the World Heritage Committee in 2010.

I am not currently in a position to process a nomination for the Hill of Tara for inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List as the property was not included on the 1992 Tentative List. Only sites that have been on the State Party's Tentative List for a period of at least one year may be nominated for consideration by the World Heritage Committee for inscription on the World Heritage List. In order to adhere to the very stringent UNESCO requirements concerning management of sites and other matters, in practice it usually takes a number of years following inclusion on a Tentative List before a site is considered suitable for inscription.