Mr. Vincent Campbell:

There are 12 schemes currently in construction, including Bray; the River Dodder in Dublin; Waterford, phases two, three and four; south Campshire in Dublin; Claregalway, which is now on-site; Bandon in Cork; Dunkellin; Foynes; Skibbereen; we have just gone on-site on Northlands in Meath; and we have signed the contract for Limerick's King's Island, which is now on-site. We will provide the committee with the list. As I stated earlier, there are 21 further schemes at various stages of development and we will provide that information to the committee as well.

With regard to channel clearance, this comes down to whether it is a drainage district or a place comes under the arterial maintenance scheme. If it is part of the 11,500 km, we fund that and we have allocated an annual €15 million to continue the clearance. The responsibility for drainage districts clearly lies with the local authorities in the first instance. I am not trying to bring a wedge between either the OPW or local authorities but it is as clear as that. If there is a doubt about a particular area, we can certainly work with the local authority and anybody involved. Outside of that, it is clearly the responsibility of landowners or riparian owners.

We accept there are issues, which have been pointed out. One of the works of the interdepartmental committee is the provision of guidance. There are so many issues involved. For example, whatever guidance is provided to riparian owners must comply with the habitats and birds directives. We must clear on what can or cannot do, who people can contact and when work can be done. There will be clear guidance coming towards the end of the year on what work can be done and where one can go for guidance on that. I accept there are issues that need to be addressed and we are doing our utmost, working with the various agencies.

It is not just an OPW issue. Other relevant departments and organisations are involved, which is critical. The interdepartmental committee will issue clear guidance on the matter.

The drawdown of funding is an issue that was raised by more than one Deputy. It is a matter for local authorities in terms of drainage districts.

The minor works scheme was introduced in 2009. It has worked well as there have been 600 applications since then, which is significant. The applications complement some of the major schemes but they are also relevant to areas that would not qualify for a major scheme in their own right. It is important that assistance is available. The OPW provides funding to local authorities to carry out the work. In some instances the OPW has assisted the local authorities in carrying out the work. In 2016 to date we have had 70 applications. All of the information on approved minor works schemes is published on our website and everybody who wishes can see what has been applied for and granted. The information is published on the OPW's website and is publicly available. In 2016 we have allocated somewhere in the order of €3 million to fund minor works schemes that were previously approved. There are many small works taking place around the country that complement major works. That shows we recognise that there are small pockets of communities that must be sorted. The scheme is a methodology that allows local authorities to come on board with costed proposals. Our engineers vet the costs and ensure they meet the cost-benefit ratio as many of the projects would not meet the 100 years defence-----