Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

460. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide the intended breakdown of the €22 million in additional funding provided under Budget 2022 to support the Heritage Council including increases for Built Heritage and Waterways Ireland; and the amount in additional funding proposed for the Heritage Council for 2022. [50760/21]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to say that total Heritage funding in Budget 2022 will amount to €133.5m, including, inter alia, funding from the Shared Island Fund.   This represents  a significant increase on previous years funding and reflects my continued commitment to addressing the significant challenges to our built heritage and biodiversity.

The Heritage Council allocation will be over €12m in 2022, an increase of 26.6% on this year's funding and almost doubling the 2020 allocation.   For  2022 I am providing  funding of €44.1m for Waterways Ireland, including an allocation from the Shared Island Fund  - again a significant increase on this year. 

In terms of Built Heritage funding, I am delighted to say that I have allocated over €30m to our built and archaeological heritage including

- Funding for the Community Monuments Fund to support up to 1650 projects nationwide, providing training opportunities for skilled heritage jobs, protecting monuments against impacts of climate change and  supporting community involvement in heritage

- Growing the Historic Structures Fund and the Built Heritage Investments schemes,  which support owners and custodians to carry out conservation projects to safeguard our built heritage, keeping buildings in use and bringing others back into use, supporting employment of skilled conservation and tradespeople across the country and also building resilience to protect against the ongoing effects of climate change

- Further heritage surveys under the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, in keeping with our Programme for Government commitment, as well as further garden surveys. 

This funding will also ensure implementation of measures and actions identified in the Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan for Built and Archaeological Heritage, the Vernacular Strategy and the upcoming National Policy on Architecture.