Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have a brief question related to flooding.

On planning, what is the relationship between the OPW, CFRAM and the local authorities? Part of the Tolka river basin in my constituency is in an area called Barnhill or Barberstown. Historically, there has been significant flooding in fields in this area every four or five years and also during periods of very heavy rain. The area is marked on the flood risk maps. However, the local authority describes the flooding as fluvial, rather than granting it another designation. What it is stating, therefore, although there is a railway line, is that there is no need to undertake an in-depth examination because it has identified the particular flood risk. People living in the area have photographs, as I do, of houses surrounded by flooding, yet Fingal County Council states the level of flood risk does not matter particularly in planning. Prior to the Minister of State's period in office, the OPW worked in the area for many years and probably completed flooding works in the vicinity of Dunboyne, Castleknock, Blanchardstown and, in particular, the two areas mentioned, Barnhill and Barberstown. Westmanstown is another. The OPW carried out a lot of specific drainage works, particularly on the tributaries of the River Tolka, on which, as those from the OPW will know, there can be heavy flooding. In Irish its name actually means "flood". I am really at a loss to understand the reason the flooding has been described as fluvial and not as flooding that merits particular examination. We have received this information in recent days and people are very concerned that a lot of properties will built in the fields which will be subject to the same risk of flooding.