(1)Where in the case of a monument which appears to the Minister to be an ancient monument—
(a)the Ancient Monuments Board report to him that the monument is in danger of destruction or removal or damage from neglect or injudicious treatment, and that the preservation of the monument is of national importance, or
(b)the Minister considers it to be a matter of immediate urgency to act under this subsection without receiving such a report,
the Minister (subject to subsection (4) of this section and to the provisions hereinafter contained as to structures appearing to be occupied as dwelling-houses) may, if he thinks fit, serve a notice (in this Act referred to as an " interim preservation notice ") on the owner and, if the owner is not the occupier, on the occupier of the monument, stating that the monument will be under the protection of the Minister under this Part of this Act while the notice is in force.
Where the Minister, serves an interim preservation notice, he shall cause a copy of the notice to be fixed on some conspicuous part of the monument.
(2)Where the Ancient Monuments Board have reason to believe that a monument is in danger as aforesaid, and that the preservation of the monument is of national importance, they may (subject to the said provisions as to structures appearing to be occupied as dwelling-houses), by a written authorisation signed on their behalf by a member of the Board, authorise any person (including a member of the Board) to inspect the monument for the purpose of enabling the Board to determine whether it is proper for them to report to the Minister, and any person so authorised may at any reasonable time, on production by him if so required of the authorisation, enter any premises for the purpose of carrying out the inspection of the monument:
Provided that, unless the Ancient Monuments Board consider that the inspection of the monument is a matter of immediate urgency, they shall give not less than seven clear days' notice of the proposed inspection to the occupier of the premises which are to be entered.
(3)An interim preservation notice—
(a)may be revoked by the Minister at any time by notice served on the owner and, if the owner is not the occupier, on the occupier of the monument;
(b)if a preservation order made under the next following section with respect to the same monument comes into operation within a period of twenty-one months after the service of the interim preservation notice, shall cease to have effect when the order comes into operation; and
(c)if no such order comes into operation within that period, and the notice has not been revoked before the end of that period, shall cease to have effect at the end of that period.
(4)If an interim preservation notice is revoked or ceases to have effect otherwise than on the coming into operation of a preservation order, no further interim preservation notice shall be served with respect to the same monument until after the end of the period of five years beginning with the date on which the former notice ceased to have effect unless, before the end of that period—
(a)there has been given to the Minister in relation to the monument such a notice as is required by subsection (2) of section six of the Ancient Monuments Act, 1931; or
(b)work has been executed, or begun to be executed, in relation to the monument, being work notice of which is required to be, but has not been, given under that subsection.
