To ask the Minister for Infrastructure how his Department is working with (i) the Department for Communities; and (ii) other statutory and voluntary agencies to protect historic monuments from coastal erosion.

Where sea defences form part of the structure of the road, my Department is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of these defences as part of the fabric of the road network.

Where there are historic monuments at risk from coastal erosion, the Department for Communities (DfC) is the lead department and, when requested, my Department will seek to provide support to any project led by them, subject to the availability of resources.

The financing of any project associated with historic monuments is a matter for DfC.