Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 June 2018
278. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which her Department continues to liaise with the Office of Public Works to ensure that heritage sites and buildings continue to be protected and, if necessary, sealed to prevent water damage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27351/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department cooperates closely with the Office of Public Works to protect and manage national monuments in state care. There are around 1,000 national monuments at approximately 750 sites around the country and these are managed by the OPW on the basis of a Service Level Agreement with the Department. The National Monuments Service of my Department provides archaeological advice to the OPW on a routine basis and also with regard to the OPW Flood Relief Scheme, to ensure the appropriate protection of archaeology in the context of flood relief. All works at or in the vicinity of a national monument – to include any works to mitigate water damage - are required to be notified to the Department, which ensures that appropriate controls are put in place for the protection of the site.
Officials of my Department meet regularly with their OPW counterparts to devise and agree shared policy approaches to areas of mutual interest, to review operational priorities while also working closely together on a day-to-day basis in relation to individual projects. My Department is also providing €350,000 of funding to the OPW in 2018 to assist in the conservation and presentation of historic buildings and national monuments in State ownership.
