I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Tom Hayes. It would appear that the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is busy. I ask that the Minister responsible for Brú na Bóinne, whom I understand to be Deputy Heather Humphreys, would meet a delegation of residents from the area. We are talking here about a very important part of our country and an important site of world heritage, including the Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth areas, which encompasses half of the parish of Slane and almost the entire parish of Donore in County Meath. A major public meeting was organised last week by the Department which I attended with my party colleague, Councillor Wayne Harding. It is fair to say that there was bitter anger among the residents at the way they are being treated. They feel that their entitlement to live in a community and for that community to carry on is being threatened, not just by the actions of the Department but also by the actions of the local authority. Indeed, my colleague, Councillor Harding, will be raising this matter with the local authority again, having done so previously.
Everybody in the Brú na Bóinne area and in County Meath generally is exceptionally proud of the heritage that has been left to us by our forefathers. We have some of the most important works of megalithic art and the most important megalithic tombs in the world. Albeit from a different era entirely, it is the equivalent of the Louvre in terms of the importance of the art there. The art is of the same standard and of equal importance as that in the Louvre, and the community values that enormously. In fact, many members of the community in Brú na Bóinne have worked on the excavations at Newgrange and Knowth or in the interpretative centre, while some continue to work on the bus service that runs between the interpretative centre and the monuments.
Enormous restrictions have been put in place through the actions of the Department and the local authority, particularly with regard to planning for one-off houses. Nobody is looking to develop this area or is calling for mass building or anything like that. All people are looking for is for the life of the community in that area to continue. People want their children to be able to live in the area in which they grew up. We want to preserve this very important heritage but we also want to make sure that the community is preserved there too. It was the forefathers of some of those living in the community who built these monuments and that is a fact. Many of the families to whom I refer have been living in this community since time immemorial.
I would suggest that the Minister should listen to the concerns of the local people. I would hate to think that last week's meeting was a box-ticking exercise for the Department. I hope departmental officials do not feel that the public consultation process is out of the way now and that they can roll ahead with their plans, along with the local authority. I would like last week's meeting to serve as a starting point for meeting some of the requirements of the residents. It should be possible to arrive at a happy medium whereby we preserve the important heritage of Brú na Bóinne while also allowing the indigenous community to thrive. Nobody is looking for outsiders to be allowed to build houses there, nor does anybody want to build housing estates. Nobody wants to build a house that would do any damage to any monument or view in that area. They simply want people to be allowed to live within their own community. That is a very simple request by people who value and treasure the history and heritage of the area more than anybody.
Other concerns raised at the meeting last week related to signage, which has been a disaster for years. There are still no concrete plans by the Department to mark this very important world heritage site with welcome signs and with signage pointing visitors in the direction of the monuments and the interpretative centre. Much of the signage there at present is completely wrong and has been for a long time.
The other concerns expressed related to the fact that the tourism potential of the area has never been fully developed. The community, the local authority and the Department, which has a very important role as the State body dealing with UNESCO on the world heritage site status, could work together and come up with a plan that occupies the middle ground. It should be noted that many members of the community have done a huge amount of groundwork and have an enormous amount to offer. They can make suggestions that would not be contrary to world heritage status but which would complement it and also complement the life of the community.
Will the Minister of State ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to meet a delegation from the community and listen to their concerns in order that last week's meeting does not represent a box-ticking exercise in terms of public consultation?