The Heritage Council report "Review of Archaeological Assessment and Monitoring Procedures in Ireland" indicates that the standard of archaeological test excavation and of the reports submitted is not as high as would be hoped for. However, it is not entirely accurate to state that, as a result, important archaeological treasures are at risk since testing is just the first stage in the archaeological resolution of a site.
Archaeological testing is carried out to determine the nature, extent and complexity of the archaeological structures, features or deposits that may exist on a development site. In the majority of cases, test excavations are carried out by machine-dug trenches to the top of stratified archaeological deposits. Any further excavation to determine the depth of the archaeology is carried out by hand. The report submitted on the results of the test excavation is used to determine the requirements for further archaeological excavations, avoidance of impacts or preservation in situ of structures or features.
However, I should point out to the Deputy that in some cases, there may be mitigating reasons why there may be less than accurate results from testing. For example, in urban areas, it may not be possible to carry out adequate test trenching at an early stage in the development process because of the presence of existing structures on the site prior to their demolition or the sites may be small and there are neighbouring buildings. On large greenfield sites, the excavation of a number of narrow test trenches may not give an accurate picture of the archaeology as testing in such cases is a hit and miss affair – the stripping of topsoil under archaeological supervision is a more productive method in such cases.