Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Doherty for his question. He is right; I was in Donegal shortly after the meeting last year. I met with the CEO and director of services. I was in a number of locations across the county, not only seeing the projects that have yet to be commenced within the CFRAM programme, but those that are well under way. It is worth pointing out that the Office of Public Works already funds officials in Donegal County Council who have responsibility on the ground regarding the leading and implementation of the design of the schemes. Having been in almost all of the local authorities at this stage, I was hugely impressed with the magnitude of work that is already under way in Donegal, including in places like Lifford, Burnfoot, Castlefin, Ballybofey, Stranorlar and Buncrana and with the plan that is in place for Letterkenny. While we fund a resource within Donegal County Council, at the time I asked the council if it was satisfied with the level of resourcing available to it. The council has since come back and said it was satisfied with the number of staff, based on the size of the operations it was managing.

In the meantime, discussions have progressed even further. Donegal County Council is preparing a business case to look at resourcing issues, with a view to seeing if additional resources can be applied. The Deputy will be familiar with the public spending code and we have to wait until we get that business case, but I expect to get that shortly. The chairman of the Office of Public Works and I have both been there, and met the CEO of the council. We reiterated our support regarding what it is we can give in the short- and long term. In the short term, it is worth pointing out that we have funded Donegal County Council specifically with regard to the minor works scheme in Donegal town, and that includes €369,000 of upgrading works for walls, river banks, installation of non-return valves in some of the larger diameter pipes there and culvert works. A consultant was appointed, and €131,970 has already been drawn down from the Office of Public Works specifically in relation to the wider scheme in Donegal.

Regarding the scheme, Deputy Doherty is right that it is not unique to that town. We have a number of towns across the country that are of particular concern to us with regard to the tidal and coastal element, with the sea levels rising. That said, I am on the record of this committee and of the House with regard to the difficulties we have in pursuing schemes through planning, that is, not even getting to planning stage, but in terms of the preliminary works that are required of us under law, whether it is environmental impact assessment regulations, appropriate assessments, the actual physical design or the consultation that takes place. All of these require a huge amount of work. Regarding the Donegal issue, for instance, the engineers who I met at the time said that some of the preliminary work around the metrics of rising sea levels could be done in the short term. I expect to receive correspondence from Donegal County Council with regard to its business case very soon. It will supplement what it has already said, in that it has said it is now in a position to take on an additional person or an additional resource who will devote their time to this scheme and other schemes. That will allow us to collect some of the preliminary and early data that will form part of the ultimate planning application that will be made.

That said, the council has it within its grasp, and I made this clear to it. If there are mitigating works that the council feels can be done in the short term, and I mean within months, we have resources and money available to local authorities which it can apply for under minor works.