Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 8: To ask the Minister for Arts; Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps he is taking to make heritage protection grants available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36437/11]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Owing to the economic crises, and the significant reductions in the capital allocations provided to my Department, the resources available to me for the provision of grants for the protection of the built heritage are limited. None the less my Department supports a number of schemes. In 2011, I provided €650,000 through a structures at risk fund to assist with works to safeguard structures protected under the planning and development Acts. This fund replaced the local authority conservation grants scheme and the civic structures conservation grants scheme which were both suspended as a result of budgetary decisions in 2010. The allocation for the structures at risk fund in 2011 is fully committed with 23 local authorities having been issued with grant offers for a total of 31 projects under the fund. My Department is also providing capital assistance of €1.25 million to the Office of Public Works to assist in the conservation and presentation of historic properties and national monuments in State care, for example for works Cormac's Chapel in Cashel.

My Department is also providing funding of almost €7.5 million to support the work of the Heritage Council. This includes €1.5 million which is made available from the environment fund from receipts of the landfill and plastic bag levies. The council supports a number of conservation grants schemes including the significant places of public worship grants scheme, the heritage management grants scheme, the large-scale heritage properties grants scheme, the conservation plan-led projects grants scheme and the Irish walled towns grants scheme which has, for example, just completed phase 3 works to Talbot's Tower in Kilkenny. The level of funding available in 2012 and future years for these purposes will be subject to the normal budgetary and Estimates processes, noting that the total capital budget for my Department will see a further decrease next year.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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With the recent reconfiguration of the Department's agencies, will there be any effect on the Department's ability to maintain services and funding for heritage groups?

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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The elements that came into the new Department had already been severely cut between 2008 and 2011. Heritage was hit with an 83% reduction. The reduction this year means there will be less funding for the protection of the built heritage. We are doing our best to ensure that with the limited resources we have, we achieve as much as possible with those resources. We had a huge allocation just two years ago for built heritage but it has been reduced drastically. It follows that we will not be able to dedicate as much to conservation and protection of structures at risk. Unfortunately that is the reality of the financial challenges we face.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I remind Members that Deputy Stanley is waiting for an answer to his question after Question No. 9. We must finish at 5.45 p.m. so I ask Members to respect that.