Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1295. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department provides or plans to provide dedicated funding streams for the purchase and preservation of historic buildings of national or regional significance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47138/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1297. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the engagement his Department has with local authorities regarding identifying and protecting historic buildings and small heritage sites in their areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47140/25]

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1295 and 1297 together.

My role with regard to the protection and management of our architectural heritage is set out in the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), as are the roles of local authorities and the responsibilities of owners.

Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, gives primary responsibility to local authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage of their area by including structures of special interest on the Record of Protected Structures (RPS), and by designating areas of special interest as architectural conservation areas (ACAs). Inclusion of a structure on the RPS places a duty of care on its owners and occupiers and also gives local authorities powers to safeguard the building's future. The designation of an ACA means that planning permission is required for workswhich would affect the character of the area.

While the addition of buildings and structures to the RPS is a reserved function of the Local Authority, I as Minister can make recommendations to local authorities for buildings and structures to be included. I make these recommendations based on the findings of the county-by-county surveys which form the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH), managed by my Department's National Built Heritage Service.

The designation of ACAs is similarly a matter for the Local Authority. However, I would note that the Planning & Development Act (2024) provides powers to the Minister to recommend the designation of ACAs to the planning authority. As previously with protected structures, I intend to base my recommendations on the findings of NIAH surveys.

Once a building is protected by inclusion on the RPS or within an ACA, the National Built Heritage Service in my Department provides a wide range of supports working in conjunction with the Local Authority. This includes grant funding for conservation works (through the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund), expert technical guidance, grant funding for professional advice, owner events, walking trails, etc.

In relation to the potential purchase of historic buildings or sites my Department occasionally seeks to acquire certain heritage properties and monuments as resources and opportunities permit, in the interests of the preservation, conservation, management and presentation of the built and archaeological heritage.

In all instances, my Department examines any potential acquisition carefully, and on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the conservation needs of the property and value-for-money principles, and bearing in mind the many examples of historic properties owned and managed successfully by private individuals, local authorities, non-governmental organisations, etc.

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1296. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department has funding available for the preservation of small sites of local historical or cultural significance for example historic wells, monuments or community heritage features; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47139/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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1298. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if additional resources will be made available to support voluntary or community groups involved in the conservation of historic and archaeological sites of local significance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47141/25]

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1296 and 1298 together.

The Community Monuments Fund (CMF) is administered through the Local Authorities by the National Monuments Service (NMS) of my Department and has a strong focus on community and voluntary groups.

The CMF supports a range of initiatives to conserve, maintain, protect and promote local monuments and historic sites. This investment safeguards monuments for the benefit of communities and the public. It does so by enabling conservation works and repairs as well as building resilience through protecting monuments from the effects of extreme weather and climate change. The scheme also encourages public access and improvements to the presentation of local monuments.

The Community Monuments Fund provides funding for projects in relation to Archaeological Monuments that are:

(i) included in the Record of Monuments and Places (RMP) under the National Monuments Act 1930 (as amended);

(ii) identified in the Sites and Monuments Record compiled by the National Monuments Service.

The awards of over €7m for 2025 were announced in April and it is expected that the scheme for 2026 will be announced this coming November.