Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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247. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of applications received under the structures at risk fund from each local authority for the years 2011 to 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32703/15]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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248. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide a breakdown of the funds allocated to each local authority; and the details for each project funded from 2011 to 2015. [32704/15]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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249. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her Department has sought any feedback from each local authority regarding implementation of the structures at risk fund, further to its re-introduction in 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32705/15]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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250. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason an application under the structures at risk fund for a business (details supplied) in County Louth was deemed unsuccessful; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32706/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 247 to 250, inclusive together.

The Structures at Risk Fund 2015, with an allocation of €624,000, will enable conservation works to twenty-eight heritage structures, in both private and public ownership, throughout the country, which are protected under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. The amount of funding available per project was subject to a minimum level of €15,000 and a maximum level of €60,000. This Fund is being administered by the local authorities and was open to two applications per local authority, of which one application may be in respect of a privately-owned building. Since 2011, in excess of 130 structures have been safeguarded for the future as a result of the Structures at Risk Fund. A review of the operation of the Structures at Risk Fund was carried out in 2013 prior to its reintroduction in 2015.

With regard to the operation of the Structures at Risk Fund, it is primarily a matter for the local authority to nominate its two applications to my Department. It is also a matter for each local authority to prioritise applications for consideration under the fund. Louth County Council submitted two applications, neither of which was for the building referred to in the Deputy’s Question. Given competing priorities and the level of applications received in 2015, my Department allocated funding to those projects that were deemed in most need and that complied with the relevant criteria as requested in the call for submissions. Details of structures awarded funding are available on my Department’s website

Since 2011, my Department has provided the following funding under the Structures at Risk Fund as set out in the tables .