Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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335. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to outline the grants available from her Department for renovating a thatched roof (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16962/16]

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 architectural heritage, is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation, as are the roles of local authorities and the responsibilities of owners as regards heritage assets.

The architectural conservation officer in the local authority will generally be able to advise of funding available for conservation works to thatched buildings in the area in question and it is advisable for interested parties to remain in contact with their local authority on an on-going basis.

A number of State financial supports provide for the conservation and preservation of heritage structures in general.

Financial support is being provided by my Department through a number of structured schemes for the conservation and protection of heritage buildings. My Department itself operates a Structures at Risk Fund to enable conservation works to heritage structures, in both private and public ownership, that are protected under the Planning and Development Acts and are deemed to be at significant risk of deterioration. This fund, which has an allocation of over €900,000 in 2016, is administered through the local authorities and seeks to encourage the regeneration and reuse of heritage properties and to help to secure the preservation of protected structures which might otherwise be lost. Applications for this scheme have now closed for 2016, and recommended projects have been recently announced.

I launched a new €2 million scheme - the Built Heritage Investment Scheme - for the repair and conservation of protected structures on 21 October 2015. This scheme will operate in 2016, via the local authorities, on the same model as the very successful Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme, which ran in 2014. It is expected to support a significant number of projects across the country and to create employment in the conservation and construction industries, while helping to regenerate urban and rural areas. The scheme for this year is now fully allocated.

The Heritage Council, which my Department funds, also provides grants for the protection and preservation of the built heritage. For 2016, the Council is administering a community based heritage grants scheme available for projects that contributed to particular heritage themes, of which further details can be found at www.heritagecouncil.ie.