Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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8. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the supports provided to built heritage projects in County Kildare in the past two years; her plans for 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26721/18]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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The next question is in the name of Deputy Martin Heydon. I had agreed to ask the supplementary for him. I will allow the question and the Minister to give one answer for the question, if that is all right. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Heydon has inquired about built heritage projects in County Kildare in the past two years and my plans for 2019, which I believe is also the Acting Chairman's constituency. Financial support for the protection of heritage buildings and historic structures is provided by my Department through a number of schemes which are generally administered by local authorities. The built heritage investment scheme is a scheme for the repair and conservation of protected structures, that is, structures on the local authority record of protected structures. It is designed to leverage private capital for investment in small-scale conservation projects across the country and to support the employment of skilled conservation professionals. I have allocated funding of €2 million in total for this scheme in 2018. In 2017 and 2018, the built heritage investment scheme provided €100,000 in grant aid for 28 projects in County Kildare.

The structures at risk fund enables conservation works to heritage structures in both private and public ownership that are deemed to be at significant risk of deterioration.  I have allocated €1.324 million for the structures at risk fund in 2018. In 2017 and 2018, a total of €119,000 was allocated to five projects in County Kildare under the structures at risk fund. Details of the projects approved under both funding schemes are published on my Department's website and local authority websites. My Department has provided €350,000 in funding to the Office of Public Works in 2018 to assist in the conservation and presentation of historic buildings and national monuments in State ownership. The two Departments continue to work closely together on survey, excavation and research work relating to our national monuments.

The Heritage Council, which my Department funds, also provides grants for the protection and preservation of the built heritage.  It is primarily a matter for the Heritage Council to decide how its funding should be allocated across the range of research, education and conservation programmes it supports. With regard to 2019, I am pleased to say that the funding announced as part of the national development plan, NDP, presents a significant opportunity to improve the supports available to owners and custodians of our heritage buildings in conserving and protecting this important and irreplaceable part of our heritage.