Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Department held the remit for heritage before I became the Minister, but that responsibility has now moved over to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I am looking at Deputy Bríd Smith's question before me and it directly relates to the tourism aspect. My role does not come into play until the legal issue is worked out. As I said, the architectural heritage responsibility rests with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, while urban planning and development policy is primarily a matter for local authorities. County and city development plans are drawn up by the local authorities in accordance with their functions under the Planning and Development Acts. I reiterate that the heritage responsibility is no longer with my Department but with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

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