Vol. 476 No. 3
79 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the decision, if any, in relation to the designation of a central body for the purpose of grant allocation as recommended in the report on strengthening of the protection of architectural heritage; his views on the designation of the heritage council as the relevant body; if he will advise other Government Departments in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7140/97]
As the Deputy will be awere, the report of the inter-departmental working group on strengthening the protecton of the architectural heritage, which contains 64 recommendations, recommends that one central grantgiving authority for listed buildings should be designated. One of the options given in the report is that the Heritage Council be so designated.
Work is nearing completion on the preparation of a package of specific financial, administrative and legislative proposals, based on the recommendations in the report and taking account of any observations received on those recommendations. My colleague, Deputy Howlin, Minister for the Environment, and I will be bringing this package forward to Government shortly for consideration.
