Heritage artefacts and legislation
James Bannon seeks the return of heritage artefacts to local communities and asks when the Heritage (Amendment) Bill will come before the House. The Taoiseach gives autumn as the expected publication time, while the Chair repeatedly directs the Deputy to ask the legislative question.
Our heritage is very much what we inherited. It is linked to the past and has huge links with the tourism industry, up and down the country. There is a huge number of artefacts-----
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I am sure there are but would the Deputy get on with the question about the legislation?
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They have been stored away for nearly half a century in buildings owned by the OPW.
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It is important to get those artefacts back to their local communities. I would like to know-----
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It is an important element in giving local areas their identities through their heritage. I would like to see some of those artefacts coming back-----
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The Heritage (Amendment) Bill. When can we expect to have that before the House?
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There is a long list of Deputies waiting to speak so Deputies should just ask their questions.
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There are two Bills about heritage. The Monuments Bill is due in the middle of next year. The Heritage (Amendment) Bill is due in autumn of this year.
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There will be a monument erected to the Deputy.