Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 May 2018
303. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which particular historical sites or buildings in County Kildare are deemed to be at risk; the action taken or pending to address such issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20498/18]
View answerMy role, as Minister, with regard to the protection and management of our built heritage, is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation, as are the roles of local authorities and the responsibilities of owners.
Under the National Monuments Acts, I am the owner or guardian 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 (of 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 the owner or guardian.
Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, provides for the protection of 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. Inclusion on the Record of Protected Structures 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.
I draw on information provided by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, maintained by my Department, to recommend structures for inclusion on the Record of Protected Structures. However, the final decision is a reserved function of the planning authority. I understand that Kildare County Council employs both an architectural conservation officer and a heritage officer. There is also a monuments advisory committee in the county.
In addition to the statutory role of Local Authorities, Financial support is provided by my Department through a number of structured schemes for the conservation and protection of heritage buildings. €2m has been provided for the Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2018. 370 projects have been approved for funding, including 15 projects in County Kildare for which aggregate grant aid of €50,000 has been approved. €1,324,000 has been provided for the Structures at Risk Fund 2018. 76 projects across the country have been approved for funding, including for three projects in County Kildare with an aggregate grant aid of €66,000.
In terms of funding for future years, Investing in our Culture, Language and Heritage 2018 – 2027 represents a major capital investment scheme of close to €1.3 billion in funding over the next 10 years. This plan will see increased investment in protecting and celebrating our built heritage across the country. More details on the commencement and completion dates for projects and programmes, as well as the timing of the expenditure in relation to them, will emerge as we go through the process of appraisal and planning as required under the Public Spending Code.
