Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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277. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on grants and assistance for owners of thatched properties including any proposed assistance to defray the costs of thatching and insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57361/22]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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My Department operates a grant scheme for rethatching houses that are more than ten years old and that are normal places of residence. The current maximum grant is €3,810; a higher grant (up to €5,714) may be payable for houses on specified Islands; for Medical Card holders, the maximum grant is €6,350, or up to 80% of the approved cost (€8,252 for specified islands).

On 16 November last, I announced the 2023 Built Heritage Investment Scheme, which for the first time will include ring-fenced funding of €500,000 for conservation repairs to eligible thatched structures. Owners of historic thatched buildings may also apply to the Historic Structures Fund for conservation grants.

My Department will review the operation of these grant programmes early next year. While the State cannot directly intervene to subsidise insurance, my Department’s increased funding will provide greater assistance to owners with the costs of caring for their thatched properties, helping them to offset other costs.

My Department has been working steadfastly, under Action 6 of our strategy for built vernacular heritage launched in December 2021, to assist with resolving the difficulties that thatched property owners have in relation to accessibility and affordability of insurance. We have engaged extensively with the insurance industry, here and abroad, the various regulatory bodies, local authorities, fire services and others, to get a full picture of the situation. We have engaged a specialist to study the matter, whose report is expected shortly. We will be acting urgently on the basis of this research, in particular to assist owners in reducing the risk of fire in their properties, which is expected to result in reduced insurance premiums.