Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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310. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of prosecutions under the National Monuments Acts for destruction of protected ring forts and hill forts that have been undertaken since 2007. [52411/17]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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All known archaeological monuments, of which there are in excess of 130,000, are entitled to protection under the National Monuments Acts 1930-2014.  Protection may be extended to previously unrecorded monuments by entering them in the Register of Historic Monuments or the Record of Monuments and Places.  The Acts allow me to make a preservation order where I consider a national monument to be at risk.

As Minister, I am the owner or guardian under the National Monuments Acts of approximately 1,000 national monuments located at approximately 750 sites.  Maintenance of such monuments is undertaken on my behalf by the Office of Public Works.  Local authorities are responsible under the Acts for maintaining the national monuments of which they are owners or guardians.

My Department records all reports of damage to recorded monuments. Such reports often emanate from members of the public, local authorities or heritage-based NGOs.

My Department also liaises regularly with the utility and infrastructure providers and has agreed codes of practice with a number of these agencies aimed at safeguarding archaeological sites and monuments. In addition, awareness programmes are in place with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Teagasc and farm organisations that are aimed at raising awareness in relation to farming and archaeology.

Notwithstanding  the wide ranging legal provisions and other programmes in place, damage to archaeological sites and monuments does occur from time to time. Cases involving alleged wilful damage to monuments are referred to An Garda Síochána for investigation.

Since 2007, a total of nine prosecutions have been taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions  on the recommendation of An Garda Síochána for alleged offences under  the National Monuments Acts 1930 - 2014. Convictions were secured in all cases, four of which related to damage to, or destruction of ring forts.