Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State will realise the issue for many of the properties we are speaking about. While the grant is a welcome contribution to getting the professional advice for it, in some instances, depending on the property and the age of the property, the grant itself does not cover the financial cost of getting proper conservation officers. The Minister of State alluded to this in his contribution in relation to different types of windows etc. that would have a detrimental effect on the actual structure of the building.

While rolling this out to 2025, it is also important to look at the applications that were made and study them. I would hazard a guess that in each and every one of the applications that were made, the professional advice they received was well in excess of €5,000. That kind of advice is costly, but of course, it is hugely rewarding to make sure that the property is brought back. Many people to whom I speak who are engaging in it find the cost prohibitive. If the proper advice was given, maybe the overall cost could be reduced. It is important that we look at the scheme.

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