Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will give an undertaking to provide the Heritage Council with additional funding to ensure the continuation of its research, education, and conservation programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53064/12]

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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The level of funding available in 2013 from my Department’s Vote for the Heritage Council will be subject to the normal budgetary and Estimates processes, which may be necessarily constrained by the current difficult fiscal environment. The Minister, Deputy Deenihan, hopes to finalise any allocation to the Heritage Council as soon as possible, once final budgetary decisions are made. Of course, it will be a matter for the council to decide how its funding should be allocated across the range of research, education and conservation programmes it supports in future years, having regard to competing priorities for limited resources.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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Thus far, the Heritage Council has not been in a position to advertise its grant scheme due to a lack of funding. The council has also suffered substantial cuts to its funding since 2008 and, while it has maintained as much of its core work programme as possible, this was achieved in 2012 by using its funding reserves. This meant financial support was available for grants in support of heritage management, heritage education, community outreach and heritage research, but this reserve is now exhausted. Unless the overall level of funding available to the council in 2012, including its reserve, is available again in 2013, it will not be in a position to run these important programmes in the coming year. The ending of such grants will be a real and significant loss to the heritage sector and, perhaps more importantly, to society in general.

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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A total of €4.811 million was approved for the Heritage Council last year and, in addition, €1.5 million was allocated to the council from the environment fund in 2012. We all realise the important work done by the Heritage Council, which was established as a statutory body under the Heritage Act 1995 to propose policies and priorities for the identification, protection, preservation and enhancement of the natural heritage. While for obvious reasons I am not able to divulge at this stage what the allocations to the Heritage Council will be next year, I must emphasise that whatever the allocation is, it will be a matter for the Heritage Council to allocate its funding as best it can and to decide its own priorities. I am not able to provide the information to the Deputy because the budgetary and Estimates processes are still in progress. We will probably have to wait until this day next week to find out the situation.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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In terms of management, organisational capacity and good governance, the Heritage Council is a model organisation. Through the grants programme, it continues to demonstrate value for money by the careful and innovative use of small amounts of funding for various projects. These programmes make a vital contribution to heritage tourism, employment and education, to our sense of well-being and to our towns and communities across Ireland. In light of this, I hope the Minister of State will give an undertaking that the Heritage Council will have the necessary funds made available to it to ensure the operation of its grants in 2013.

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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I assure the Deputy we will try to be as supportive as possible of the Heritage Council, which is a statutory body. Unfortunately, we have inherited a difficult situation. I am aware there has been a steady reduction since 2008 in the funding available. It is a reflection of the difficult economic and fiscal situation in which we find ourselves at present, as the Deputy will understand, and this will determine what is available. Whatever is available, we still recognise and acknowledge the importance of its work. I thank the Deputy for her constructive suggestions.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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In that case, the Minister of State will do everything he can.