Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My role, as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, with regard to the protection and management of our built and natural heritage, is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation. Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, provides for the protection of the architectural heritage. The Act gives primary responsibility to planning authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage by including relevant structures on the Record of Protected Structures or within a designation of an Architectural Conservation Area (ACA). Inclusion on the Record of Protected Structures places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of protected structures and also gives planning authorities powers to deal with development proposals affecting them and to seek to safeguard their future. I am aware of the important legacy of Industrial Heritage and its role with respect to cultural, heritage and economic development in areas such as Inchicore and Kilmainham and elsewhere throughout the country. Indeed, my Department has recently undertaken a National Inventory of Architectural Heritage for Dublin 8, which has recorded such structures in the area.

However, I consider that any proposals for Inchicore/Kilmainham to become an industrial heritage hub and/or a cultural/heritage hotspot, or for the setting up of such areas, would be a matter for the relevant Local Authority in the first instance.