Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 February 2026
202. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to review correspondence (details supplied); the additional funding available in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10759/26]
View answerUnder my Department, the National Built Heritage Service (NBHS) provides two main grant schemes which support the protection of eligible heritage buildings and historic structures. These schemes include the provision of capital grants for conservation works as well as financial assistance for owners to obtain conservation advice for their historic structures. The Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) and the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) are, in the main, administered by the local authorities, while applications for the Conservation Advice Grant are made directly to my Department.
The BHIS provides capital funding of between €2,500 and €50,000 for repair or conservation works to the following types of buildings:
Protected structures.
Proposed protected structures.
Structures in Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs).
Vernacular buildings.
Under BHIS, each local authority receives an allocation of funds from my Department based on the proportion of structures on their Register of Protected Structures (RPS) when compared to the national total. Each local authority can award funding to eligible applications within their area that meet the terms and conditions of the BHIS circular. Within the BHIS, separate, ring-fenced funding is available for thatched buildings under the Historic Thatch Buildings stream. The purpose of this scheme is to protect the heritage value of historic thatched roof buildings, and funding is allocated to local authorities on the basis of the number of thatched properties within their area. Any historic thatched structure, including domestic or commercial, is eligible for consideration under this scheme.
Under the BHIS, applicants may seek up to 80% of the total project cost. It is at the discretion of the Local Authority to decide on the amount of grant funding allocated to individual projects. In an effort to provide funding to as many projects as they can, Local Authorities try to spread the limited funds across as many eligible applications as possible, meaning that unfortunately the proportion of costs covered will in many cases be considerably lower than 80%.
Depending on the circumstances, funding for the repair of protected structures may be available from other sources. The Historic Structures Fund provides capital funding of between €50,000 and €200,000 for works to qualifying structures, but has a focus on larger conservation works and projects with a community benefit. National monuments and archaeological sites may be able to avail of Community Monuments Funding (CMF) from the National Monuments Service within my Department
Where the building in question is a domestic thatched structure, a dedicated Thatching Grant is available from my Department for thatched buildings in use as housing. Applicants can avail of up to €3,810 or two thirds of the approved cost (whichever is less) towards necessary roof repair or renewal. A higher grant (up to €5,714) may be payable for houses on specified islands. For owners of qualifying thatch properties who are also Medical Card holders the maximum grant available is €6,350, or up to 80% of the approved cost (€8,252 for Islands).
It is important to note that the above grants fall under the heritage remit of my Department. Certain local authorities run their own grant schemes for built heritage conservation.
