John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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241. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the detail of State funding that is provided to religious organisations or persons here by her Department; the amount of funding provided for each of the years 2010 to 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43151/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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While my Department operates a wide range of funding schemes in the areas of arts, culture, heritage and the Gaeltacht none of these are specifically designed for the support of the activities of religious organisations or persons. Details of these schemes are made available on my Department's website and they are open to all eligible applicants including religious organisations or persons should they meet the requirements of the individual funding scheme.

Applicants to schemes such as the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Structures at Risk Fund are not requested to state as to whether whether the owner of a protected structure is part of a religious organisation or a religious person. However, many churches and related buildings around the country are historic in nature and have received funding under these schemes. Details of funding awarded under these schemes, which are administered by local authorities on behalf of the Department, are available on my Department's website and the websites of the relevant local authorities.

Within this context I am advised that in recent years a number of religious organisations have received funding under various schemes including:

- The Local and Regional Museum Scheme (now discontinued) under which funding of €13,100 was provided to Knock Museum between 2014 and 2017; and

- The Decade of Centenaries programme under which funding of €21,623 was awarded to the Representative Church Body in respect of the Church of Ireland Gazette between 2014-2017 with a further €2,000 awarded to Drumgoon Parish Church, for grave renovations, in 2016.

I would also advise the Deputy that funding of €100,000 was approved for the Representative Church Body Library (RCBL) under the Department’s Digitisation Scheme in 2017.