Denis Naughten
Question:90 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his plans to increase the grant available for the protection of listed buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8638/03]
Written Answers - Architectural Heritage.
Denis Naughten
Question:106 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his plans to improve the grants available for historic and thatched buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8626/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 106 together.
My Department operates a number of measures providing assistance towards the cost of conservation works for protected structures and towards renewing and repairing thatched roofs to houses.
The conservation grant scheme for protected structures was introduced in 1999.
The standard grant is 50% of the approved cost of works subject to a maximum of €13,000. A local authority may, at its discretion, vary this amount downwards, or, in exceptional circumstances, upwards, subject to a maximum allowable grant of 75% of the cost of the approved cost of works or €25,000, whichever is the lesser. Accordingly, the scheme is not intended to meet the full cost, but is designed to assist owners or occupiers of protected structures to undertake necessary works to secure their conservation.
Local authorities administer this scheme and each local authority is allocated a fixed amount of funding for grant purposes in each calendar year. Local authorities are required to prioritise applications on the basis of a scheme of priorities drawn up by them.
In 2003, an amount of €2.888 million is being made available to local authorities under the scheme. This allocation was the maximum that could be made available having regard to the wider budgetary situation.
My Department will continue to monitor the operation of the scheme closely.
In addition to the protected structures scheme, funding of €1 million will also be available in 2003 under the urban and village renewal measure of the regional operational programmes. Applications for funding under this scheme were invited from local authorities, civic trust and other not-for-profit bodies to upgrade buildings of significant architectural and heritage merit and which are in public ownership or open to the public generally. I will allocate this funding to specific projects following the evaluation of the grant applications currently before my Department.
My Department also operates a scheme of grants to assist in the renewal and repair of traditional thatched roofs and has in recent years introduced significant improvements to the grant levels under the scheme. The basic maximum grant was increased in 1999 to €3,810 and to €5,720 for houses on specified offshore islands, with additional measures to assist lower income households. In 2002, a total of 190 grants were paid amounting to €810,222. In 2003 an amount of €734,000 has been provided. As with the conservation grant scheme, the allocation for 2003 was the maximum available having regard to the wider budgetary situation.
The Heritage Council will also provide €1.27 million in grant aid this year for architectural conservation projects.
In all, therefore, some €6 million will be made available this year from public funds towards the protection of listed buildings and housing with thatched roofs.