Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 February 2024
227. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how Ireland is implementing the provisions of the Valletta Convention; what resources are provided for implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9893/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe existing National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014, and the Planning and Development Act 2000, currently enable compliance with the Valletta Convention with its aim of the protection of archaeological heritage as a source of the European collective memory and as an instrument for historical and scientific study.
The more recently enacted Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, (HAHMP), will further strengthen such compliance, and in some cases may be interpreted as being even more comprehensive and encompassing than the Valletta Convention in some areas.
Work has now been initiated across a number of areas within the National Monuments Service of my department to enable the provisions of the HAHMP to be implemented, and this work will be ongoing.
It is important to note that planning law will remain crucial to ensuring the integration of archaeological heritage into the planning and development system, which will be addressed in the new Planning and Development Bill 2023 just as comprehensively as under existing planning law
