386. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department or the National Parks and Wildlife Service has undertaken any assessment of the heritage, biodiversity, environmental or public amenity value of Newbury Demesne, Carbury, County Kildare; if his Department has considered the potential of historically and environmentally significant landscapes such as Newbury Demesne for conservation, heritage or public amenity purposes; the mechanisms that exist to support the protection and preservation of such landscapes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52664/26]

I can confirm that no such assessments regarding Newbury Demesne have been carried out by my Department outside of its statutory enforcement functions. However, I note that both Newbury Hall and Trinity Well, which are located within the Demesne, are included on the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) maintained by Kildare County Council, and are therefore subject to the protections and obligations placed on owners under both the Planning and Development Acts as a result of such inclusion.

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 with chief responsibility for protection of architectural heritage resting, in the first instance, with those owners and the relevant local authorities.