Vol. 522 No. 4
208 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the proposals she has to meet the concern of the SIPTU archaeological section regarding the code of practice currently being formulated by her Department and the National Roads Authority (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18810/00]
The code of practice will contain a set of agreed measures that are aimed at managing the archaeological mitigation programme necessitated by the National Road Authority's road construction programme more effectively and efficiently without any dilution of my Department's policy as published last year in Framework and Principles for the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage and Policy and Guidelines on Archaeological Excavation.
A key component in the operation of the code will be the proposed employment of a project archaeologist on each major road project who will be involved from the earliest design stages of the project and will work closely with the engineering consultants, the archaeological site directors and Dúchas the heritage service of my Department. This will help to ensure that all archaeological work is carried out expeditiously having regard to the time constraints imposed by the national development plan but in accordance with the highest archaeological standards and practice. In this way, I am confident that the protection of the archaeological heritage will not be compromised.
It is not possible to determine in advance appropriate levels of mitigation, but general criteria and guidelines will be produced by Dúchas. Then, on the basis of detailed assessment, it is proposed that a programme of mitigation for each scheme will be agreed between the project archaeologist and Dúchas. I expect to be in a position to make an announcement about the Code in the near future when details of all the measures proposed will be made available.
The national development plan will see an unprecedented level of investment in our roads and there will be a consequential and significant archaeological mitigation programme required. Rather than reducing the opportunities for the archaeological sector, such opportunities will be greatly enhanced and I envisage that there will be considerable pressure on the profession to meet the huge demand for services that will undoubtedly arise.
My remit extends only to the protection of the archaeological heritage and the maintenance of archaeological standards and I am satisfied that the code will assist in my achieving these objectives. It is a matter for the archaeological profession itself to address its own regulation issues. In this regard, it would seem appropriate for the profession to enter into negotiations with the National Roads Authority, local authorities and other major developers about the types of contracts to be entered into on road projects, infrastructural schemes and other large development projects. Ultimately, the question of wage rates and labour-related issues are a matter for the marketplace and for others to pursue.
