Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 June 2014
83. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number and location of heritage sites, buildings or historical locations brought to his attention and deemed to be at risk over the past three years; the action taken or pending in any such cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24955/14]
View answer87. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which national monuments or historical sites worthy of preservation and or deemed at risk have been brought to his attention in the past three years; the extent of the action taken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24959/14]
View answer88. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which national monuments or historical sites in County Kildare worthy of preservation and or deemed at risk have been brought to his attention in the past three years; the extent of the action taken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24960/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 83, 87 and 88 together.
Comprehensive statistics are not available in respect of the number and location of endangered heritage sites or buildings throughout the country or specifically for County Kildare. As set out previously in my reply to the Deputy's Question No. 149 of 17 April 2014, my Department has a number of measures at its disposal to address the issue of endangered heritage sites or buildings throughout the country.
All known archaeological monuments, of which there are in excess of 130,000, are entitled to protection under the National Monuments Acts 1930-2004. Those Acts allow me, as Minister, to make a preservation order where I consider a national monument to be at risk. Protection may be extended to previously unrecorded monuments by entering them in the Register of Historic Monuments or the Record of Monuments and Places. Prosecutions in respect of damage to recorded monuments are initiated, where warranted.
Under section 53 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, I may, as Minister, make recommendations to a planning authority concerning the inclusion in its Record of Protected Structures any structures which I consider would merit such inclusion and the attendant planning restrictions which would apply to protect the structures’ special architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical interest.
