Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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93. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the position regarding the establishment of initiatives that will protect our maritime cultural heritage, as committed to in the Programme for Government; his views on the reinstatement of the sun shelter on Dun Laoghaire’s east pier; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12492/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is fully committed to the protection and preservation of our underwater cultural heritage as outlined in the Programme for Government. Work is currently underway within the National Monuments Service on a draft National Strategy to protect Ireland's underwater cultural heritage. It is anticipated that this will be ready for public consultation later this year.

Ratification by Ireland of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage is also under consideration. This is a key international instrument, which provides an agreed shared framework for co-operation among States Parties in relation to maritime cultural heritage including historic wrecks.

Regarding funding for the potential reinstatement of the sun shelter on Dun Laoghaire’s east pier, my Department funds a range of grant schemes for the repair and conservation of protected structures and certain other historic buildings, which may be of relevance depending on the ownership of the structure and other factors. The Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) provides grants of between €2,500 and €50,000 for a wide range of conservation works, while the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) provides grants of between €50,000 and €200,000 for similar works at a larger scale.

Both schemes are administered in the main by the local authorities with funding from the National Built Heritage Service (NBHS) under my Department. These schemes are now closed for 2025. The application window for the 2026 BHIS is expected to open in July 2025, with the HSF to follow in December 2025.