Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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34. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans for the built heritage investment scheme and historic structures fund for 2019 and 2020; the levels of interest in both schemes in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45406/19]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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In April 2018 I announced a €1.2bn capital investment in culture, language and heritage under Project Ireland 2040. The capital funding for built heritage under this plan will run from 2018-2027 and is focused on enhancing and safeguarding our built heritage throughout the country. Funding under both the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund is made available under Project Ireland 2040.

While the primary responsibility to care for and maintain a protected structure rests with the owner, the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund invest essential capital in our valuable built heritage and help the owners and custodians of historic structures in every local authority area across the country to safeguard their properties into the future for the benefit of communities and the public.

The Built Heritage Investment Scheme is a scheme for the repair and conservation of protected structures on the local authority Record of Protected Structures. It is designed to leverage private capital for investment in small scale conservation projects and to support the employment of skilled conservation professionals and tradespeople. I allocated funding of €2.5m for this Scheme in 2019; this included €60,000 for 15 projects in County Clare. The Built Heritage Investment Scheme is administered through the local authorities.

The Historic Structures Fund, (formerly the Structures at Risk Fund) is for conservation works to heritage structures, in both private and public ownership. I allocated €1.824m for the Historic Structures Fund in 2019, and this included €15,000 to one project in County Clare. The Historic Structures Fund is administered through the local authorities.

In 2019, 478 built heritage projects were successful in their application to the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Historic Structures Fund. Details of all projects approved under both these funding schemes are published on my Department’s website as well as on local authority websites.

I will shortly be announcing details of the Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2020 and the Historic Structures Fund 2020. Details of the schemes, including the amounts to be allocated to each local authority, will be published on my Department’s website and local authority websites.