AQW 44976/11-15

Mr Phil Flanagan
Sinn Féin
Fermanagh and South Tyrone

Tabled Date: 23/04/2015
Answered On Date: 12/05/2015
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of the Environment, pursuant to AQW 43121/11-15, why he will not publish a copy of the full report given the public interest in this matter.

Answer:

The following response covers both of your questions, as they are both pursuant to AQW 43121/11-15:

A copy of the full report was circulated, in confidence, on 23 September 2014 to (i) the Minister for Regional Development; (ii) the Chair of the Committee for the Environment and; (iii) the Chair of the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure.

As per my response to you in respect of AQW 43121/11-15, I want to enable a wider circulation of the key findings and recommendations of the Review commissioned by the previous Minister for the Environment, and led by Professor Gabriel Cooney.

There were, clearly, important lessons to be learned about what happened at Drumclay Crannóg, not just for my department but also for other departments and public and private bodies involved in development and land use change. It is by learning those lessons, and applying that knowledge, that we can ensure the best and most appropriate treatment of archaeological remains that are affected by new development.

I have not indicated, at any time, that I will not publish this report. I am, however, conscious that the recommendations of the report have been partly superseded by events and they will also be impacted by the further changes proposed to government structures planned for May 2016.

Therefore, I now intend to publish the report alongside an action plan that will address the key issues outstanding in the context of these wider changes. I have asked officials to finalise this document to allow publication of both the report and action plan within the next month.