Written Answers Nos. 149-155
149. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has reached agreement with traditional canal dwellers and canal recreational users regarding draft proposals to increase the costs to traditional users, either directly or through Waterways Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14000/16]
View answerProvisions to amend the Canals Act 1986 so as to allow for the subsequent making of bye-laws to regulate boating on the canals and to manage the use of the canals are contained in The Heritage Bill 2016, which passed its 2nd Stage reading in Seanad Éireann on 20 January 2016. As the Deputy will appreciate, the 1988 Canal Bye-Laws have been in force for some 27 years and need to be revised to reflect changes in the use of the canals over the intervening years. The proposed changes would allow Waterways Ireland to make new bye-laws to proactively manage the Royal and Grand Canals, as well as the Barrow Navigation.
I have sought the restoration of the Heritage Bill 2016 to the legislative programme through the Offices of the Government Chief Whip and the Leader of the Seanad. Deputies and Senators will have the opportunity to consider the implications of this Bill as it passes through the various stages of enactment. In regard to the making of bye-laws subsequent to the enactment of the Heritage Bill, I would be pleased to afford interested Deputies and Senators an opportunity to discuss the proposals with me prior to making a final decision on the introduction of the bye-laws.
150. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has had discussions with traditional turf cutters to resolve difficulties in implementing special areas of conservation and national heritage areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14001/16]
View answerAs set out in the Programme for a Partnership Government, the Government recognises that domestic turf cutters have a traditional right to cut turf and that this right is balanced with the conservation objectives and legal obligations on the State.
Significant efforts have been made by the State to resolve the issue of the protection of Ireland’s raised bog special areas of conservation (SACs) within the framework of the EU Habitats Directive. This has included intense and on-going engagement with turf cutting interests, the farming community, non-governmental organisations and with the European Commission. In addition, a long-term compensation scheme has been introduced to compensate turf cutters for their loss arising from the cessation.
The draft National Raised Bog SAC Management Plan was published in January 2014. It sets out how the raised bog SACs are to be managed into the future and how the needs of turf cutters are to be addressed. It is expected that this Plan will be finalised over the coming period and, subject to the approval of the Government, will be published thereafter.
The Review of Raised Bog Natural Heritage Area (NHA) Network, published in January 2014, has concluded that Ireland could more effectively achieve conservation of threatened raised bog habitat through focused protection and restoration of a reconfigured network. This will entail the phasing out of turf cutting on certain NHAs by 1 January 2017 and the partial or complete de-designation of certain NHAs. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to publish new legislation to de-designate the NHAs in question within the first 100 days of Government and to reviewing the timetable for the implementation of actions relating to NHAs in consultation with the EU.
Final resolution of all issues in relation to the protection of Ireland’s protected raised bogs will only be brought about by everyone working together, within the law, with my Department and with the Peatlands Council, which was established for the purpose of ensuring the input from all stakeholders.
151. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she internationally encourages the use of Ireland as a film location, given the beneficial economic implications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14002/16]
View answerThe Irish Film Board is the national development agency for Irish filmmaking and the Irish film, television and animation industry. The Board supports and promotes the Irish screen industries at major international markets and festivals, promotes inward investment, the use of Ireland as a location for international production and provides support for companies filming in Ireland. The Film Board also liaises with IDA Ireland and Tourism Ireland in terms of maximising joint opportunities for promotion of Ireland as a location for film productions. Examples of this could be seen during Ireland’s success at the Oscars this year and the promotional activity around the shooting of Star Wars in Ireland.
The Programme for a Partnership Government contains a commitment to work with the Irish Film Board to ensure that Ireland is maximised as a location for international film production. The Programme also contains a very important commitment to work to progressively increase funding to the arts, including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, as the economy continues to improve.
I am pleased that I have already been able to provide some additional support to the Film Board this year, with additional current funding of €500,000. This increased investment will help to maximise the benefits brought about by the Government’s enhancement of the Section 481 film tax credit system, including the decision to increase the cap for eligible expenditure on film projects to €70 million, as announced as part of Budget 2016.
153. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has had discussions with other Departments or interest groups, in particular the Department of Education and Skills, on creating greater awareness of our national heritage and culture in primary and secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14004/16]
View answerWhile the provision for arts in the education system and the content of the school curriculum is primarily a matter for the Department of Education and Skills, I am firmly committed to continuing the work of the ongoing partnership between that Department, my own Department and the Arts Council, in line with the Arts in Education Charter. In this regard, I am pleased that the Programme for a Partnership Government commits to the continued implementation of the Arts in Education Charter. My Department and the Heritage Council also provide relevant supports for use in our schools.
The development of Ireland’s first national culture policy - Culture 2025 - will also be relevant in terms of acknowledging the importance of supporting cultural engagement across wider policy areas. The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to the publication of Culture 2025 as a priority and I intend to submit the draft policy to Government for consideration in the coming weeks. As I have stated previously, this first such policy will be a living document and will form the basis of an on-going dialogue with all relevant sectors, including the education sector.
I should also say that the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme saw unprecedented engagement with our history in schools and colleges throughout the country. This engagement was supported by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Education and Skills and the Defence Forces.
154. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if the arts sector attracts support from philanthropists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14005/16]
View answerPrivate support for the arts is an important funding source and the Government continues to support this through tax incentives and other initiatives. The Programme for a Partnership Government contains a commitment to encourage strong, mutually beneficial links between the business community and the arts community to assist arts organisations to capitalise on sponsorship opportunities and to develop business partnerships and fundraising skills. In this regard, I recognise the important work carried out by Business to Arts for which my Department provides a small amount of assistance.
In addition, the Arts Council operates the RAISE programme, which seeks to enhance fund-raising skills in arts organisations with a view to diversifying the sector's sources of funding. It is designed to assist the sector in securing philanthropic contributions to the arts in Ireland.
My Department also operates small capital grant schemes, which requires co-funding from private or philanthropic sources.
In terms of other capital investment requiring co-funding, I have announced a new €9 million investment scheme for arts and cultural centres to run over the next three years, focussed on upgrading the existing stock of such centres around the country. The funding, which is being made available as part of the Capital Investment Framework 2016-2021, will be dependent on matching funding being secured by project promoters and will therefore provide an opportunity for philanthropists to involve themselves in the arts.
155. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of historical, heritage and protected sites and buildings she deems to be at risk, for whatever reason; the action she proposes to address this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14006/16]
View answerWhile my Department often receives information relating to existing or potential risks to heritage sites or buildings, deemed to be at risk, from local authorities, the Heritage Council, heritage-based NGOs and members of the public, a single set of comprehensive statistics is not available in respect of the number and location of heritage sites or buildings deemed to be at risk throughout the country.
Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, provides for the protection of the architectural heritage. The Act gives primary responsibility to planning authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage by including relevant structures on the Record of Protected Structures (RPS). Inclusion on the RPS places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of protected structures and also gives planning authorities powers to deal with development proposals affecting them and to seek to safeguard their future.
Under Section 53 of the Planning and Development Acts 2000, as amended, I may make recommendations to a planning authority concerning the inclusion in its RPS of structures which I consider would merit inclusion and the attendant planning restrictions which would apply to protect the structures’ special architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical interest. This process is administered by my Department’s National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) programme.
There are a number of ways in which my Department acts in respect of possible heritage sites/buildings deemed to be at risk. One of these is the receipt of applications for funding for the repair, conservation, preservation or safeguarding of protected structures, sites or monuments. Financial support is being provided by my Department through a number of structured schemes for the conservation and protection of heritage buildings. My Department itself operates a Structures at Risk Fund to enable conservation works to heritage structures, in both private and public ownership, that are protected under the Planning and Development Acts and are deemed to be at significant risk of deterioration. This fund is administered through the local authorities and seeks to encourage the regeneration and reuse of heritage properties and to help to secure the preservation of protected structures which might otherwise be lost. Applications for this scheme have now closed for 2016, and recommended projects are currently being finalised. Since 2011, over 130 structures have been safeguarded for the future as a result of the Structures at Risk Fund.
In 2015 I launched a new €2 million scheme - the Built Heritage Investment Scheme - for the repair and conservation of protected structures. This scheme will operate in 2016, via the local authorities, on the same model as the very successful Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme, which ran in 2014. It is expected to support a significant number of projects across the country and to create employment in the conservation and construction industries, while helping to regenerate urban and rural areas. The scheme for this year is now fully allocated.
The Heritage Council, which my Department funds, also provides grants for the protection and preservation of the built heritage. For 2016, the Council is administering a community based heritage grants scheme available for projects that contributed to particular heritage themes. Further details can be found at www.heritagecouncil.ie.
My Department has a number of measures at its disposal to facilitate the restoration of major historical or cultural sites. I am the owner or guardian under the National Monuments Acts of approximately 1,000 national monuments located at approximately 750 sites and in such cases there is a statutory duty to maintain the national monument. Such maintenance is undertaken by the Office of Public Works. Local authorities are responsible under the National Monuments Acts for maintaining the national monuments of which they are owners or guardians. A wide range of other monuments (in the order of 130,000) are currently subject to protection under other provisions of the National Monuments Acts but my Department and the Office of Public Works do not have a direct role in their maintenance except where, as already noted, a monument is a national monument of which I am owner or guardian.
My Department is also providing €350,000 of funding to the Office of Public Works (OPW) in 2016 to assist in the conservation and presentation of historic buildings and national monuments in State ownership. OPW undertakes the care and maintenance of national monuments in my ownership or guardianship (of which there are approximately 750). My Department’s National Monuments Service works in close collaboration with the OPW on survey, excavation and research work to optimise the protection, management, interpretation and presentation of national monuments in State care.
