Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 June 2018
6. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the action she plans to take on foot of the concerns expressed by An Taisce regarding the impact of the use of Skellig Michael as a filming location and its request for strict protocols in respect of this to be introduced. [26709/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn light of the concerns expressed by An Taisce about the impact of filming and other activities on the Skelligs, and given that they are an important environmental resource and tourist destination, what structures and protocols does the Minister propose in order to preserve and protect the Skelligs as one of Europe's top destinations?
Sceilg Mhichíl is a national monument in the ownership of the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under the National Monuments Acts. As such, it enjoys the full range of protections afforded by those Acts, including a requirement that any work at or in proximity to it are subject to my prior written consent. The Skellig Islands themselves form part of the Skelligs special protection area, SPA, which is designated for the protection of various species of seabird and is subject to the provisions of the EU birds and habitats directives.
While recent filming, including the high-profile "Star Wars" filming, led to concerns being raised in some quarters about the potential impact on the SPA, I am satisfied that there have been no adverse impacts. All filming proposals were reviewed by experts in my Department and subject to screening for appropriate assessment in accordance with the birds and natural habitats regulations. Filming was only permitted where the screening concluded that this was in order and that avoidance and mitigation measures were robust. In addition, stringent conditions and monitoring were put in place by my Department.
In the case of the first filming of "Star Wars", for example, following discussion with my officials, the film company submitted a revised application with a significant reduction in activity and a redesign of several elements of the original proposal, including a 90% reduction in proposed helicopter activity for the project. The revised proposal was then screened for ecological and species impact and subject to detailed review by the archaeological experts of the National Monuments Service. The screening concluded that, provided the avoidance and mitigation measures proposed by the film company were implemented in full, and subject to 15 special conditions attached to the consent for the project, the proposal would not have a significant effect on the Skelligs SPA.
Filming was limited to a number of days and only on specified parts of the island. The activities of the film crew were supervised at all times by personnel from the Office of Public Works and my Department's National Monuments Service and National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
On the second occasion of filming in September 2015 after the bird season, conditions were also restrictive, the filming footprint was heavily circumscribed, and duration was limited. As well as implementing strict controls over filming on the island, much of the filming of "Star Wars VIII" took place at Ceann Sibéal on mainland County Kerry rather than on Sceilg Mhichíl itself. The entire catalogue of application, screening, approval, conditions and ex-post reports are available online.
Sceilg Mhichíl was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. Information about filming projects, and particularly on ecological issues and assessments undertaken prior to approval for filming, was made available to UNESCO. The post hoc ecological and monument assessments were also made available to UNESCO.
The Minister will have seen the extraordinary photo of recent weeks of puffins on the Skelligs using plastic rubbish, detritus from fishing boats and so on to construct their nests.
Scandalous.
Experts have said that some of that rubbish has come from across the Atlantic. The Minister will have had an opportunity to visit the area. For anyone who knows it, it is an area of extraordinary and outstanding natural beauty and "Star Wars" going there has been a significant boost to its tourism, but the Minister should take account of the concerns expressed by An Taisce. There must be a balance in preserving what is a fragile ecosystem - notwithstanding the fact that it has endured for thousands and thousands of years - against the risks of modern pollution, such as shown in the recent picture of plastics, and the impact of filming, which has seen the number of people visiting Skellig Michael increase. Does the Minister propose to carry out a detailed study on how to do the best for the islands?
An Taisce did not list the protocols it wants to see. Its position is that there should be no filming on Skellig Michael and that purist view is simply not sustainable. It wrote to us several times during the licensing of the 2015 filming and we responded to each letter. We published the application online and the full approval. We did not hear again from An Taisce on the matter until its letter last December to coincide with the release of "Star Wars VIII". The letter was released to the press at the same time that it was sent to us and was obviously written to coincide with the sure publicity the movie could get. As a consequence, its negative view got some traction.
With regard to the puffins, in September 2015, most of the birds on the island had departed for the winter, including the puffins. The report published afterwards is unequivocal in stating that there was no impact on the wildlife, the buildings or the structure on Skellig Michael. UNESCO was fully informed and raised no correspondence whatsoever. I am very satisfied with the way that it has been undertaken. An Taisce's view is second-hand, speculative and uncorroborated, in my view. Incidentally, the shot used in The Irish Times when it covered An Taisce's letter on 21 December was taken not on Skellig Michael but on a set in Sybil Head.
The Minister has probably seen some of the detailed commentary and the commentary relating to nest-building, plastic waste and rubbish. It does not just relate to puffins but gannets too. The Minister would be foolish to be quite so churlish about An Taisce being concerned about the natural environment. Has the Minister taken an opportunity, since she became Minister, to visit this important area? Everybody wants to see the maximum positive development of tourism in this area, which has long been an area which has relied on tourism and its natural beauty for promoting the livelihoods of local people. Equally, one has to protect the environment. What are the Minister's plans to do that?
I am not remotely churlish about Skellig Michael and I am kept fully briefed and informed about filming on it at all times. There has to be a dose of reality with regard to it and there is some misinformation about it. Skellig Michael lies 14 km offshore in what are euphemistically known as challenging sea conditions and it is cut off by sea for seven months of the year. Its archaeology, which has survived for 15 centuries, is open to the full natural fury of the Atlantic elements. Its biggest challenge is not its visitors. Those numbers can be controlled. It is actually the wild Atlantic elements to which it is exposed. None of those events caused any damage to the ecology, ornithology or archaeology of the island at any stage. I am satisfied with the screening, supervision during filming and the ex post ecological report, all of which were published.
