Vol. 486 No. 6
257 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the sources of funding available from her Department, or from agencies under the aegis of her Department, for the restoration and renovation of old churches. [3292/98]
My Department has no discretionary funding available to it to provide funding for the restoration and renovation of old churches. The main source of public funds for heritage projects is the Heritage Council, which is a statutory, autonomous body under the Heritage Act, 1995. Under that Act, the council has powers to provide advice and assistance —including financial assistance —in relation to the protection, preservation and promotion of the physical heritage, including the architectural heritage. The council is located in Rothe House, Kilkenny city — telephone number 056-70777 and fax. 056-70788. It should be noted that, although my Department funds the Heritage Council, I have no function in relation to decisions by it on the disbursal of grants.
