Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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67. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when successful applications under the 2017 structures at risk and built heritage investment schemes will be announced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20393/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Financial support is provided by my Department through a number of structured schemes for the conservation and protection of heritage buildings, including the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Structures at Risk Fund. I am delighted to be able to say that tomorrow I expect to announce a significant investment in both the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Structures at Risk Fund for 2017. These will now support a large number of projects across every local authority area in the country.

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. Structures must be on the local authority Record of Protected Structures. The fund, administered through the local authorities, 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 Built Heritage Investment Scheme is a scheme for the repair and conservation of protected structures (i.e. structures on the local authority Record of Protected Structures). The scheme supports heritage projects across the country in and creates employment in the conservation and construction industries, while helping to regenerate urban and rural areas.

The administration of both schemes is devolved to local authorities who are contacting successful applicants in the coming days. A circular outlining the terms of each scheme can be found on my Department’s website. Any queries about the operation of the schemes should be directed to the relevant local authority.