Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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404. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if the committee for a centre (details supplied) can apply for funding as the building is in disrepair; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19393/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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There may be scope for the committee referred to by the Deputy to apply for funding under a variety of schemes operated by my Department but, in the main, this would have to be done via the relevant local authority or relevant Local Action Group in the case of LEADER. Four schemes operated by my Department could potentially be of benefit - the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, the Structures at Risk Fund, the Town and Village Regeneration Scheme, and the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme.

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 in excess of 330 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 Structures at Risk Fund enables conservation works to heritage structures, in both private and public ownership, which 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 and will support 57 projects nationally 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. Funding for 2016 has now been fully allocated.

No decision has been made on the allocation of funding to these schemes for 2017, which will be subject to the normal budgetary processes. The Conservation or Heritage Officer in the relevant local authority will be able to advise regarding funding available for conservation works to structures on the Record of Protected Structures and it is advisable for interested parties to remain in contact with their local authority on an ongoing basis.

It should be noted that the Heritage Council, which my Department funds, also provides grants for the protection and preservation of the built heritage. It is 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 annually having regard to competing priorities for limited resources. The Council recently awarded funding of over €880,000 to 171 heritage projects nationwide under its 2016 Heritage Management Grant Scheme. Further details of grant schemes available from the Heritage Council can be found at www.heritagecouncil.ie.

My Department is also charged with the delivery of a Town and Village Regeneration scheme, with a commitment to provide €30 million over a six-year period. I hope to be in a position to announce the call for proposals for the 2016 scheme shortly. The central aim of the scheme is to support the revitalisation of towns and villages in order to improve the living and working environment of their communities and increase their potential to support increased economic activity into the future. The type of projects to be funded under this initiative is primarily a matter for the local authorities to identify in partnership with their communities. However, the overall intention of the funding would be to focus on public spaces, thereby increasing the attractiveness of the town or village as a local commercial and social centre and, as a result, increasing its sustainability as a place in which to live and work. Proposed initiatives could also look at ways to enhance its environment and amenity in the interests of residents, businesses, visitors and the promotion of tourism; and also as a centre for culture and local heritage, thereby enhancing the sense of identity - physically and socially. In this context, it may be possible for the committee referred to by the Deputy to access funding under this scheme. I would suggest the community group get in touch with their local authority as they will be made aware when the scheme is launched.

It may be also possible to access funding from the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme and I would urge the group to get in contact with the Local Action Group in their area. LEADER aims to support the sustainable development of rural communities using a community-led local development approach to the delivery of funding. All decisions on project funding are made at a local level, based on the aims and objectives set out in a local development strategy. I expect to be signing a contract later this week with the relevant LCDC for the delivery of LEADER in the county in question.