Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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139. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if there is specific grant assistance available towards the necessary upgrade of an old dwelling house which would be regarded as a heritage building; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45416/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My role, as Minister, with regard to the protection and management of our built 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. 

Financial support is delivered by my Department for the protection of heritage buildings under structured schemes which are administered via the local authorities.

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).  This year I have approved €3.5 million in funding for approximately 500 projects across the country, creating employment in the conservation and construction industries, while helping to regenerate urban and rural areas.

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 year the I have approved €1.324 million in funding for 67 projects nationally.  The Fund 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. 

In the context of a particular building, especially one which is on the Record of Protected Structures, the best advice for the owner may be to contact the Architectural Conservation Officer or Heritage Officer in their local authority who will be able to advise on the various types of funding available to assist with the building.

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.  Grant schemes are advertised by the Heritage Council on its website www.heritagecouncil.ie.