Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 405: To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps he will take to ensure the protection of Aldborough House, Portland Row, Dublin 1, a protected structure, in view of its importance as part of Dublin's architectural heritage;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29297/12]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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My role as Minister, the role of local authorities, and the responsibilities of owners, with regard to protected structures are set out in the provisions of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2011. Under Part IV (Architectural Heritage) of the Acts, inclusion on the Record of Protected Structures places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of protected structures in relation to those structures. Planning authorities are also given powers to ensure that the structures are protected. This includes powers to serve notice to carry out protective works, and obligations in relation to how development proposals are considered. The appropriate authority in this case is Dublin City Council.

My Department also has some limited funding for structures at risk. In 2011, I awarded a grant of €80,587 from this funding stream to Dublin City Council to assist with urgent repair and conservation works on Aldborough House and am satisfied that the assistance offered has made a significant contribution to conserving the architectural heritage value of this protected structure. Applications for this funding are made by local authorities to my Department and the deadline for applications in 2012 has passed. No further application was made under the fund in 2012 in respect to Aldborough House.