Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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427. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if there are plans in train to have the Hill of Uisneach, Killare, Mullingar, County Westmeath, nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9658/14]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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UNESCO sets out a formal process for State signatories to the World Heritage Convention to nominate properties for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The nomination process is initiated by the State authorities drawing up a Tentative List of what they consider to be the most important heritage sites within their national boundaries. A particular criterion is that a site must be considered to be of outstanding universal value, defined by UNESCO as meaning of “cultural and or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity.” Following a public consultation process and consideration by an expert advisory group, a new Tentative List for Ireland was approved and submitted to UNESCO in March 2010. “The Royal Sites of Ireland”, made up of Cashel, Dún Ailinne, the Rathcroghan Complex, the Tara Complex and the Hill of Uisneach, was one of seven potential nominations chosen for inclusion in Ireland’s Tentative List. Consideration is also being given at this stage, in consultation with Armagh City and District Council and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, to the possibility of adding Eamhain Mhacha/Navan Fort in Co. Armagh to the Royal Sites proposal.

The nomination of a property to the World Heritage List is a significant undertaking that requires the development of comprehensive nomination documentation, including a management plan for the property. Following submission of a nomination to UNESCO, it is evaluated by three advisory bodies:

- the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS);

- the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); and

- the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property(ICCROM).

Once the site has been evaluated, the intergovernmental World Heritage Committee makes the final decision regarding the site’s inclusion on the World Heritage List.

In order to further progress the nomination process, I hosted a seminar in September 2013 to consider the extent of local interest in pursuing World Heritage nomination for the sites on the current Tentative List and to clarify all the elements involved in applying for and retaining such status. My Department has been in on-going contact with relevant local authorities and community representatives since the seminar to further clarify the significant research and other requirements involved in preparing nomination documentation. As part of this process a further meeting will take place shortly with representatives from the areas in the Royal Sites nomination, including the Hill of Uisneach.