Vol. 501 No. 4
145 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the reason she has not responded to letters regarding the placement of a derelict order on the old national school in Wilkinstown, County Meath, which dates back to the 1850's (details supplied); and if she will respond to the queries raised. [6359/99]
I regret the delay in replying to the Deputy's representations in this case. The position is that my Department is primarily concerned with sites and monuments of the pre-1700 period, and the funding made available to me for any given year is primarily directed towards such properties in State care. With regard to the old school in question, it is a 19th century building which does not enjoy the protection of the National Monuments Acts and it would appear, therefore, that the best approach to securing its protection would be through the local authority. The Deputy will be aware that post-1700 properties may be listed for preservation under a county development plan, and the effect of such a measure would be that planning permission would have to be obtained from the local authority for any proposed building works – including demolition, changes of use, or alterations.
The Deputy will also be aware that I and the Minister for the Environment and Local Government announced a package of measures for the protection of the architectural heritage in May 1998. Among these measures is the establishment of a new grant aid scheme for approved conservation works to listed buildings which will commence very soon. The new grants scheme will be administered by the local authorities. It will have funding of £4 million per annum and will be operated in accordance with national criteria and standards drawn up by an advisory group made up of our two Departments and the Heritage Council.
I should also inform the Deputy that another source of potential funding for private heritage projects is the Heritage Council, which is a statutory autonomous body established under the Heritage Act, 1995. Under this Act, the council has powers to provide advice and assistance, including financial assistance, in relation to the protection, preservation and promotion of the built heritage. In this regard, I would point out that, while I provide operational funding to the Heritage Council under my Department's Vote, I have no function in relation to the council's decisions on the disbursement of funds.
In summary, while my Department would have no direct function in addressing the case of the old school in question, I would hope that the foregoing information will be of some assistance to the local community in their endeavours to retain and make use of the building. I would like to assure the Deputy, however, that Dúchas, the heritage service of my Department, will be prepared, if requested, to provide technical advice regarding materials to be used, design layout, architectural history of the building etc. together with general architectural advice.
