Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My role, as Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, with regard to the protection and management of our architectural heritage, is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation, as are the role of local authorities and the responsibilities of owners as regards heritage assets.

In 2016 financial support was provided by my Department through a number of structured schemes for the conservation and protection of heritage buildings.

The Structures at Risk Fund (SRF) enabled 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 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.  The 2016 Structures at Risk Scheme funded over 50 projects. Since 2011, over 180 structures have been safeguarded for the future as a result of the Structures at Risk Fund.

In 2015, I launched a new €2 million scheme - the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) - for the repair and conservation of protected structures.  The 2016 BHIS scheme operated via the local authorities, on the same model as the very successful Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme, which ran in 2014. In 2016, BHIS supported over 270 projects across the country, creating over 17,000 days of employment in the conservation and construction industries, while helping to regenerate urban and rural areas. The scheme has also leveraged just under €5.5 million, more than double the scheme’s allocation of €2 million.

It is hoped that the above schemes will operate again for 2017 and it is expected that an announcement will be made in the coming weeks.

The Heritage Council, which my Department funds, also provides grants for the protection and preservation of the built heritage.  It is primarily 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. I understand that the announcement of any proposed grant schemes for 2017 will be advertised by the Heritage Council on .