Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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80. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason trained underwater archaeologists using an archaeological methodology were not used on a recent dive on the Lusitania. [4172/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As indicated in my response to Questions Nos. 403 and 404 on 13 December 2016, conditions associated with dive licences under the National Monuments Acts are subject to review and input from the relevant professional archaeological services of my Department, are structured to reflect the particular nature, circumstances and objectives of the licensable activity and, consequently, will vary from case to case.

The licence issued in this instance, which was subject to 20 detailed conditions, reflected the Memorandum of Understanding between my Department and the owner of the wreck to facilitate greater mutual co-operation and collaboration. The licence conditions reflected the unique and extensive knowledge of the wreck site on the part of the person appointed to make the recovery, the complexity and arduousness of the dive, the nature, composition and location of the artefact being known, the fact that the artefact had been previously filmed on the seabed and also the applicant’s intention to recover the particular artefact for donation, conservation and display in a suitable local public facility.