350. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if funding is available through his Department or The Heritage Council for the development of feasibility studies for tourism and heritage projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66495/26]

In general, schemes funded by my Department in relation to heritage are focused on preservation, conservation and repair, awareness and engagement efforts, or access enhancement. While projects funded under such schemes may of course have knock-on benefits in terms of tourism, such economic or employment aspects do not typically form a basis for application assessments or funding awards, and feasibility studies focused on tourism or other methods of income-generation would therefore not be eligible for funding under such schemes. Given the focus on tourism, further information in relation to the funding of such studies may be available from my colleague the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment.

Separately, my Department funds the work of the Heritage Council, who operate a number of grants schemes for which such studies may be eligible, but this would depend on the exact nature of the project or study proposed. Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The contact email address for the Heritage Council is oireachtas@heritagecouncil.ie