Vol. 511 No. 3
291 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if she has received correspondence from an organisation (details supplied) dated 12 November 1999; if she will respond to the concerns contained; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24409/99]
I can confirm that I received the letter dated 12 November to which the Deputy refers. It concerns the staffing levels and resources within the State service which controls archaeological licensing and related planning matters.
The workload relating to the archaeological functions performed by my Department has increased dramatically in recent years. This has been particularly acute in the areas of planning and development and in applications for archaeological licensing as building activity in the State has been continuously expanding.
However, the Deputy may rest assured that I am fully aware of my responsibilities to preserve our archaeological heritage and I am committed to providing an efficient professional service to all our customers. My Department is currently examining, in the context of the proposed national heritage plan, means through which we would seek to make greater use of the resource available across all sectors of archaeology through, for example, using strategic partnerships with local authorities, who are already vested with primary responsibility for planning and development. I am confident that these measures alone will contribute significantly to the better management of the archaeological resource within the State.
Finally, a question has been raised by the organisation referred to regarding persons engaged on temporary contracts for service. This matter and a number of other issues relating to staffing in Dúchas, the heritage service of my Department, are currently under discussion within the normal Civil Service industrial relations framework and I would not like to make any statement that might prejudice the outcome of these discussions. As an interim measure many contracts are being renewed on a three-monthly basis. The legal position is that those engaged on a contract for service are not employees.
