Vol. 435 No. 5
72 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht if he is committed to conservation of the national archaeological heritage and nature conservation; and when he intends to announce a policy for each of these areas.
I can assure the Deputy of my total commitment to the conservation of the physical and natural heritage. Policy in relation to each of those areas is being developed on an ongoing basis.
I also propose to put the National Heritage Council on a statutory basis and my proposals in this regard have been circulated to all Government Departments. I hope that the legislation will come before the Oireachtas in the next session.
73 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht if he has satisfied himself with Coillte Teoranta management of archaeological monuments found on their sites; if he has further satisfied himself with the level of consultation between Coillte Teoranta, his Department and the Office of Public Works; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I am satisfied that there is a high level of co-operation between Coillte Teoranta and the Office of Public Works who are responsible for the implementation of national monuments legislation. However, there may be scope for policy initiatives in the area of potential conflict between afforestation and protection of archaeological monuments and I will be looking into this.
74 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the action, if any, he intends to take to ensure that the architectural heritage of Dublin is preserved.
The preservation of Dublin's architectural heritage and, indeed, of all our urban architectural heritage is an area of policy development which my Department will be examining in consultation with other interested public bodies.
