Written answers
Tuesday, 29 July 2025
Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
Archaeological Sites
Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
1546. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of archaeological excavations licensed in Cork county in each of the past five years, including their location, development context and major findings, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42259/25]
James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
The scope of this question is very broad and would amount to a disproportionate number of days of work to produce all of the information requested including reading large numbers of reports to extract and summarise the information sought. I can however provide a breakdown by year of the number of licenses granted for archaeological excavations in Cork from 2020 -2025. On foot of a new system being introduced in 2024 I am also able to give a breakdown of the reasons for the licenses granted in 2024 and 2025. If there is a particular location or application of specific interest the National Monuments Service in my Department will be able to assist further.
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025(to end June) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excavation license under section 26 | New application | 62 | 88 | 109 | 117 | 158 | 59 |
| Alteration to previously approved | 41 | 47 | 62 | 64 | 97 | 52 | |
| Excavation Activity under Ministerial Consent | New Application | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| Alteration to previously approved | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 3 | |
| Excavation Activity under Ministerial Direction | New Application | 4 | 4 | 19 | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| Alteration to previously approved | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 12 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | In advance of conservation | Mitigation/rescue | Monitoring | Research | Testing | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excavation License under S26 | New Application | 1 | 14 | 57 | 3 | 83 | |
| Alteration to previously approved | 0 | 11 | 45 | 2 | 39 | ||
| Excavation under Ministerial Consent | New application | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| Alteration to previously approved | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| Excavation activity under Ministerial Direction | New Application | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Alteration to previously approved | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 2025(to end June) | In advance of conservation | Mitigation/Rescue | Monitoring | Research | Testing | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excavation license under section 26 | New application | 1 | 6 | 23 | 0 | 29 | |
| Alteration to previously approved | 0 | 12 | 22 | 2 | 18 | ||
| Excavation Activity under Ministerial Consent | New application | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alteration to previously approved | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Excavation Activity under Ministerial Direction | New Application | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alteration to previously approved | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
No comments