Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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280. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the membership of the working group on the Hill of Tara. [14299/18]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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281. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the working group on the Hill of Tara will report on its work. [14300/18]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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282. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will meet local residents in relation to the Hill of Tara. [14301/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 280 to 282, inclusive, together.

My Department is leading a working group of relevant stakeholders, including the Office of Public Works (OPW), Meath County Council, the Heritage Council and the Discovery Programme, to develop a conservation management plan for the state-owned lands at the Hill of Tara. This working group met as recently as 5 March 2018 when a provisional work programme was agreed which anticipates a draft plan being ready for circulation in mid-summer.

The new plan will focus on conservation and will inform a list of priority conservation and site management actions and measures. Focusing on the lands that are in the ownership of the State, it will inform future interventions on the site, aided by the ongoing monitoring of visitor numbers by the OPW. The Plan will not, nor is it intended to, address land use and planning issues in the wider environs of Tara. It will nevertheless help to inform the future planning and development of the area.

Public consultation will be a key component in developing the new plan. As a first step in that process, I have just announced details of an online  questionnaire that can be accessed on the Heritage Council’s website. This gives everyone with an interest in the Hill of Tara an immediate opportunity to make their views on its future known. I would urge people to participate, in particular local residents, as the more comments received the more representative the process will be. The consultation phase is intended to be an open and effective way for members of the public to engage in a constructive dialogue on Tara.  The feedback received will be carefully assessed and analysed and will feed into the text of the Plan. As the draft plan evolves, there will be further consultation with all the stakeholders concerned, including with local residents.

While the development of a plan of this nature is challenging, given the complexity and size of the site and the interests of varied stakeholders, I am confident that it can be completed and adopted in the coming 12 months.

When finalised, it will form a solid framework in which all of the ongoing site management issues referred to by the Deputy will be addressed.  It will help to inform conservation priorities on the site and guide future investment decisions in visitor and interpretation facilities that are compatible with its international standing and significance.