Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy said, the built heritage jobs leverage scheme was a great success, which is reflected in the statistics. The Deputy is right that Ireland's heritage and its buildings are a vital part of our villages and are towns. The Heritage Council has done great work over the years in engaging with communities. There is a much greater awareness now of the importance of heritage. Community groups across the country are getting involved and want to everything they can to protect what is very special in their areas in terms of heritage.

I am very supportive of this scheme and, as I outlined in my response, the operation of a similar scheme in the future would be contingent on dedicated funding be made available to my Department. This was a one-off stimulus scheme last year which helped to ensure the skills of stonemasons and the skills required to maintain heritage buildings are protected and passed on. I very much support scheme and, as the economy improves, I will make the case for more funding for heritage, in particular for this scheme.

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