Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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26. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to set down the funding available in the Estimates for 2017 to the Heritage Council for the preservation and conservation of built heritage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37353/16]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I have looked at the Estimates for the Department for this year. A total of €1 million is allocated for 31 administrative areas for built heritage capital. This equates to €30,000 per county, which is totally inadequate. People have protective orders put on their buildings. These building are seriously expensive to maintain and there is no assistance from the State. It is all on the downside for citizens who are unfortunate enough to wind up as custodians of protected properties.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department's allocation to the Heritage Council in 2017 will be €6.254 million, subject to final confirmation in the Revised Estimates. This amount excludes any contribution from the environment fund, which has yet to be decided with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The contribution to the council from this fund amounted to €748,000 in 2016.

Following from increased funding in 2016 for the Heritage Council's current overall budget of €5.243 million, excluding the environment fund, I have secured an additional €1 million in capital funding for the council in 2017 to assist in a dedicated programme to deal with historic towns and their role in regional and rural development. This follows on from the successful historic towns initiative pilot delivered by my Department, in collaboration with the Heritage Council and Fáilte Ireland, in 2012 and 2013.

While it is primarily a matter for the Heritage Council to decide how its funding should be allocated across the range of programmes it supports, my Department will continue to work closely with the council to ensure continued investment is appropriately targeted in the built heritage area having regard to competing priorities for the limited resources available.

The Deputy will appreciate that the scope for funding for the conservation of the built heritage is constrained by the significant pressure on the public finances. Nonetheless, I keep the competing priorities in respect of the preservation and enhancement of the national heritage under ongoing review having regard to the resources available to my Department.

Funding for the protection of built heritage will also continue to be provided by my Department via a number of schemes, including the successful structures at risk fund and the built heritage investment scheme, which is directly administered and delivered in tandem with local authorities nationally.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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What is the total sum, between the Heritage Council, the Minister's direct funds and every other fund the Minister mentioned in her answer? Off the top of my head, I figure it is approximately €3 million. There are over 30 authorities. That gives the Minister approximately €100,000 per authority. That is totally inadequate and the Minister knows it.

We face a major challenge in this area. In law and regulation, we raise the bar higher and higher in terms of the standard to which we want people to conserve property. On the other hand, we are not willing to provide the finance. Does the Minister accept that, as a consequence, the effect of conservation has actually begun to bring us backwards? Properties are deteriorating because the owners cannot afford to do anything with them and because the State cannot provide the money to assist them in reaching the incredibly high standards that have, quite rightly, been put in place. One can reach those standards, provided one has the money to do so.

The Minister is suggesting that the Heritage Council can divide the funds. That is fine. To be honest, however, it is a little like the loaves and the fishes. Those involved would want a miracle to divide the funds in any meaningful way or to make any impression on the challenge to our built heritage.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I accept that there are challenges. Work has continued under the built heritage investment scheme. I launched a new €2 million scheme for the repair and conservation of protected structures on 21 October 2015. The scheme operated this year via the local authorities on the same basis as the successful built heritage job leverage scheme that ran in 2014. The scheme is expected to support a significant number of projects throughout the country and will create employment in the conservation and construction industries. We have the structures at risk fund as well. Financial support is also being provided by my Department through the structures at risk fund to enable conservation work to heritage structures in private and public ownership which are protected under the Planning and Development Acts and which are deemed to be at significant risk of deterioration. The fund is administered through the local authorities and seeks to encourage the regeneration and reuse of heritage properties.

Section 482 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 is also relevant. Under the terms of the Act, owners or occupiers of approved heritage buildings or gardens can apply for tax relief in respect of expenditure incurred on repair, maintenance and restoration on condition that the properties are open to the public. In order to be approved for this relief, a building or garden must be intrinsically of significant scientific, historical, architectural or aesthetic interest. Reasonable access to the property must be afforded to the public as well.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I have never favoured tax relief because it favours those who have an income that requires them to pay income tax. The Minister has thrown out figures like snuff at a wake. Has someone in the Department added up all the sums? I have suggested to the Minister that she has provided a total of €3 million or €4 million for 2017. Can she tell me the total once everything is added up? How much will be available to the Department next year for built heritage? Has the Department any indication of the figures provided, either directly or through the Heritage Council, in respect of the number of heritage buildings in public and private ownership that are at risk? If we had those two figures, then we could calculate how much to allocate to each area next year.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I simply do not have a total figure before me.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Minister send on the figure to me?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I do not have time to add it up but I will provide Deputy Ó Cuív with the figure.

Let us be clear: the Heritage Council got a 19% increase in funding this year. That is the largest increase in funding the council has received in a long time. The council very much welcomed the increase.

I want to build on the initiatives already announced, including the towns and village regeneration schemes and other schemes because much of the funding has gone into heritage buildings. A considerable amount is available. The Leader programme allows for investment in heritage buildings as well.

6 o’clock

It has been very successful, as the Deputy knows, in developing community projects, many of which involve old heritage buildings that are very worthy of investment. I want to support our heritage because it is absolutely vital and so much a part of where we are and our sense of place. As I said, I was delighted to be able to increase funding for this area for this year. As the economy continues to improve, it is my intention that we have more investment in our heritage.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Minister communicate to me the two figures I asked for?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Certainly.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The first is the total for built heritage. The second is the number of buildings at risk.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I hope the Deputies will write to one another and that the matter will be sorted out. The next question is in the name of Deputy Burton. I understand Deputy Penrose will take the question on behalf of Deputy Burton. Everybody can agree to that.