I propose to take Questions Nos. 150, 153 to 155, inclusive, 158 and 159 together.
In the region of 120,000 monuments, mostly located on private lands, are protected under the National Monuments Acts. Many of these are ringforts. My Department does not have comprehensive information on the numbers of reports of actual damage or threats of damage to protected structures and sites but it does have a suite of tools, both legislative and advisory, at its disposal to address such reports, where and when they are received.
Given the total number of monument sites involved, it is not feasible to identify the position regarding public access in each case. However, the 757 national monument sites in my ownership or guardianship, of which 32 have been identified as ringforts, are, in general, freely accessible to the public, or where privately held, are accessible under local arrangements. National monuments in my ownership or guardianship are managed and maintained by the Office of Public Works on a day to day basis, including operation of Visitor Centres and the collation of data on visitor numbers.
Under the provisions of Part IV (Architectural Heritage) of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2012, each planning authority is required to include in its development plan a Record of Protected Structures. The making of an addition to, or deletion from, a Record of Protected Structures is a reserved function of the planning authorities. Inclusion in the Record of Protected Structures places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of protected structures and also gives planning authorities powers to deal with development proposals affecting them, seek to safeguard their future and serve notice to require works to be carried out in relation to endangerment of protected structures.
Section 59 of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2011 provides for a planning authority to serve notice to require works to be carried out in relation to endangerment of such structures. On the basis of information submitted by the planning authorities to my Department, there were 19 such notices served in 2008, 27 in 2009, 10 in 2010 and a provisional figure of 2 in 2011.
My Department does not list historical or heritage structures in terms of top five per county.
In 2011 my Department set up an Expert Advisory Committee representing key stakeholders to review the operation of Part IV (Architectural Heritage) of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2012. This review includes an examination of how the legislation is operating in practice regarding the protection and management of architectural heritage from a central and local government perspective and the need, in the light of current economic circumstances, to consider alternative ways of supporting the conservation of protected structures.
I am committed to working creatively across Government and with partner bodies, such as the Heritage Council, the Irish Heritage Trust, Fáilte Ireland, the Rural Development Programme (formerly LEADER) and other heritage interests, to ensure that all available supports are directed towards the heritage sector. In this context, my Department is actively promoting the role Ireland’s heritage has to play in making our country an attractive destination for sustainable tourism and inward investment, both in terms of the operation of Ireland’s national parks and nature reserves, and in terms of our unique built heritage.
Culture and heritage are important elements of Ireland’s tourism product, and heritage properties, including those in State care, are prominent tourism sites. At the National Ploughing Championship earlier this year, I formally launched new elements of my Department’s websites, www.archaeology.ie and www.buildingsofireland.ie, which will guide visitors to a selection of our national monuments and structures of architectural heritage interest. I intend to continue with such promotional measures in the future.
While funding for investment in heritage is particularly limited at present, my Department will continue to provide funding for the protection, conservation and development of our built and natural heritage, in so far as resources allow, and, when necessary, will intervene as provided by law to protect such sites.