Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A total of €4.811 million was approved for the Heritage Council last year and, in addition, €1.5 million was allocated to the council from the environment fund in 2012. We all realise the important work done by the Heritage Council, which was established as a statutory body under the Heritage Act 1995 to propose policies and priorities for the identification, protection, preservation and enhancement of the natural heritage. While for obvious reasons I am not able to divulge at this stage what the allocations to the Heritage Council will be next year, I must emphasise that whatever the allocation is, it will be a matter for the Heritage Council to allocate its funding as best it can and to decide its own priorities. I am not able to provide the information to the Deputy because the budgetary and Estimates processes are still in progress. We will probably have to wait until this day next week to find out the situation.

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