Mr. Vincent Campbell:

I am very grateful to the committee for inviting representatives of the Office of Public Works to address the committee on the provision of emergency services, tackling flooding and maintaining adequate facilities in rural areas. The OPW does not have a role or responsibility for the provision of emergency services which is a matter for the principal response agencies, the Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive and the local authorities. The maintenance of adequate facilities in rural areas is primarily a matter for local authorities. My colleagues from the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government are addressing these matters for the members this afternoon. I will confine my remarks to the matter of flooding and I and my colleagues from the OPW are glad to have the timely opportunity to bring members of the committee up to date on recent developments in the area of flood risk management.

The exceptional flood events of last winter brought home to everyone the devastating impact that flooding can have on people's lives. I assure members of the committee the OPW is working as hard as possible to address in an effective and sustainable way the most significant flood risk in the country. At the core of the OPW's work is the objective of reducing to the greatest extent possible the level of flood risk to people, property, infrastructure and the environment. In the context of its flood risk management role, the OPW delivers services through the following key areas: strategic planning to manage flood risk in future through the catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, programme, which also ensures that Ireland is in compliance with the EU floods directive. The OPW also has a strategic role to co-ordinate, for consideration by Government, cross-sectoral policies that can impact on flood risk. In carrying out its functions, the OPW works in close co-operation with other State bodies, principally the local authorities, which also have key responsibilities in the area of flood risk management in the country.

I will now talk about the CFRAM programme. The central and overarching strategy for addressing the significant flood risks nationally is the OPW's catchment flood risk assessment and management programme. In this programme, 300 areas throughout the country were identified as being at potentially significant risk of flooding. These areas are known in the programme as areas for further assessment, AFAs. In line with Government policy, the OPW is in the process of completing the CFRAM programme to give a clear and comprehensive picture of flood risk in these areas and to set out how the risk can be prioritised and managed effectively and sustainably. The CFRAM programme is being undertaken in partnership with the OPW's consultants, local authorities and other stakeholders. This is a strategic approach that recognises the need, in line with international best practice, to move to a more sustainable, planned and risk-based approach to dealing with significant flooding events and risks.

The CFRAM programme is without precedent in its scale and complexity. It is the principal vehicle for implementing national policy on flood risk management and the EU floods directive 2007. It has produced the most comprehensive set of flood risk maps ever available in this country on which there has been extensive public and stakeholder consultation. Some 40,000 maps are available as a result of this exercise. Draft flood risk management plans have been made available for public consultation. These plans will be finalised over the next number of weeks taking on board the comments received and will include a prioritised list of feasible measures, both structural and non-structural, to address flood risk in an environmentally sustainable and cost effective manner. The public consultation has been on a rolling basis throughout the summer and is due to end at the end of 2016.

On our capital investment programme, since 1995 the OPW has invested some €480 million in flood risk management measures including, in co-operation with the relevant local authorities, the construction of 37 major flood defence schemes throughout the country at a cost of €280 million. Ten major flood defence schemes are currently under construction and two more are due to commence later this year. I think they are nearly on site as we speak. A further 23 schemes are in the pipeline at design or development stage. This is unprecedented, given the number we are dealing with and the investment. In addition to the major schemes, the OPW has paid out approximately €30 million since 2009 to support local authorities in the implementation of almost 600 minor works projects in every county in the country.

This has made a significant difference in the fight against flood risk.

It is estimated that all these major schemes and minor works projects provide protection to in excess of 12,000 properties and up to €1.2 billion in benefit to the State has been derived from this investment to date in terms of flood damages and losses avoided. This is a major achievement and it is the Government's intention to continue to build on this and prioritise investment in flood defence schemes. This commitment to continue flood risk management is evident in the capital investment plan 2016 to 2021, during which the annual allocation for flood defence works will more than double from €45 million to €100 million.

On the minor works scheme carried out by the Office for Public Works in tandem with the major capital investment programme, since its introduction in 2009, the scheme has proved to be a very effective means of addressing localised flooding issues. It is of particular relevance to rural communities where a major flood defence scheme would not be feasible. Under the scheme, the OPW can provide funding to local authorities to undertake minor works up to a value of €500,000 to address localised flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative areas. To date, funding of almost €37 million has been approved by the OPW to local authorities in respect of almost 600 local flood relief projects, resulting in flood protection for 5,000 properties.

The OPW has statutory responsibility for maintaining a total of 11,500 km of river channel that form part of the arterial drainage schemes, which also include approximately 800 km of embankments. The annual maintenance programme typically involves some clearance of vegetation and removal of silt build-up on a five-yearly cycle. The programme has resulted in the protection of approximately 650,000 acres of agricultural land.

The purpose of the arterial drainage schemes was primarily to improve the drainage of agricultural lands to enhance production. This typically involved lowering or widening river beds to facilitate the drainage and discharge of neighbouring lands and drainage channels. While not the primary purpose of the schemes, they also provided enhanced conveyance capacity where they passed through towns, villages and dispersed rural communities which, in turn, has reduced the flood risk to properties in these areas.

Last winter, the Shannon flood risk State agency co-ordination working group was established on foot of a Government decision to enhance ongoing co-operation across all of the State agencies involved with the River Shannon, including the ESB, Waterways Ireland, Bord na Móna, Inland Fisheries Ireland, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Office of Public Works and the relevant local authorities.