Vol. 522 No. 2
346 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the future plans for Cullenwood House, Ranelagh, Dublin 6; the discussions her Department have been involved in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17927/00]
There is no record in my Department of any request for assistance or advice in respect of this property and, as a consequence, I have no information on the future plans for it.
As the Deputy may be aware, in 1998 the Government decided on a new framework to protect the architectural heritage of the State that placed the primary responsibility in this regard on planning authorities. Funding was subsequently made available for the planning authorities to recruit conservation officers. A scheme of grants for the conservation of protected structures was also introduced. The new system was given legislative effect through the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1999. A number of seminars were held for planning authorities last year to outline the revised arrangements and their enhanced role in the protection of our architectural heritage.
I should emphasise that the protection of the architectural heritage is primarily a matter for the planning authorities and that my role is mainly to provide advice to planning authorities in the exercise of their functions. With effect from 1 January, 2000, any buildings that had been listed for preservation or protection in Dublin Corporation's development plan, including Cullenswood House, were deemed to be included on the new record of protected structures. It is, accordingly, a matter for Dublin Corporation, in the first instance, to take whatever action it considers appropriate, consistent with its new powers, to protect the architectural integrity of this building.
The new Act also places a responsibility on the owners and occupiers of protected structures to ensure that the structure or any part of it, which contributes to its special interest, is not endangered in any way.
