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Heritage Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 October 2021

Tuesday, 5 October 2021

Questions (327)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

327. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the extent to which he and his Department have any responsibility for endangered listed and or unlisted buildings throughout the country; his plans to take any specific initiatives to ensure their protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48359/21]

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Written answers

With regard to the safeguarding of protected structures, Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000 gives primary responsibility to local authorities to identify and protect architectural heritage by including particular structures on their respective Records 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 any development proposals affecting them.

My Department provides financial support, however, for the protection of heritage buildings and historic structures through two grant schemes which are, in the main, administered by the local authorities. These are the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) and the Historic Structures Fund (HSF). This year 562 heritage projects across every county in the country were allocated funding from a combined sum of €6m under these schemes, an increase of nearly 40% on 2020.

My Department also provides financial support through the Community Monuments Fund (CMF) for work relating to monuments. This year funding was allocated to 139 projects across all local authorities to a value of just over €4.2m.

Details of the projects have been published on my Department’s website and on local authority websites. While the 2021 schemes are now closed, it is intended that details of the 2022 schemes will be published online in the coming weeks.

As the Deputy will be aware, preparation is well advanced in my Department on Heritage Ireland 2030, Ireland’s new national heritage plan. It will be a coherent, comprehensive and inspiring framework of values, principles, strategic priorities and actions to guide and inform all aspects of our national heritage policy over the next decade. Heritage Ireland 2030 will be published later this year and will address priority issues for heritage, including those identified in the Programme for Government.

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