asked the Taoiseach the progress which is being made on the legislation suggested by the Supreme Court in the Derrynaflan judgment to extent the application of treasure trove to archaeological objects that do not fall under the definition of treasure trove; and when it is intended to bring the Bill before Dáil Éireann or Seanad Éireann.

Draft Heads of a Bill have now been drawn up by my Department and circulated to other Departments for observations. The comments received are being considered and it is hoped to submit the matter to Government shortly.

The Bill will be brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas as soon as possible.

As the Taoiseach is aware, the Supreme Court suggested that there might be a system of rewards in the legislation and also a method of assessing such rewards. Has this been incorporated in the legislation?

The question of rewards for the finders will be incorporated in the legislation. I would be quite happy to receive any suggestions or submissions from the Deputy which he might wish to put forward in the light of his experience in this area.