Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Responsibility for policy on national heritage sites rests with the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, while the Office of Public Works is responsible for day-to-day matters, including investment, management and maintenance.

Nonetheless, my Department and the tourism agencies recognise that these sites are an important part of our tourism offering.  In that context, significant amounts of the overall funding for tourism capital investment has been allocated in recent years to projects that optimise the tourism potential of such sites.  These allocations have also included heritage sites not in the hands of the OPW, including other publicly-owned properties.

The Government's medium-term Exchequer framework for 2012 to 2016 includes provision for significant investment in tourism product development, in recognition of the contribution that capital investment in tourism can make to increasing visitor numbers in the medium term and to sustaining economic recovery. The allocation of funding to specific tourism capital investment projects is the responsibility of Fáilte Ireland, which operates the tourism capital investment programme, and final decisions in this regard are made by the Fáilte Ireland Authority.

Significant projects already funded or allocated under the programme in the area of built heritage include Derrynane House, Killarney House, King John's Castle, Russborough House, Castletown House, Garnish Island, Spike Island, Waterford Viking Triangle, the Dubline heritage mile, and the Kilkenny Medieval Mile, as well as a range of other investments. Fáilte Ireland has worked closely with the OPW, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, local authorities and other promoters in the development of these projects.

Given the level of commitments, there is little scope for any additional project approvals between now and the end of 2016, as the existing capital allocations will be required to fund these and other developments.

See this speech in context