Tom Parlon (Laois-Offaly, Progressive Democrats)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The last major flood in Dublin occurred in November 2002 when there was substantial flooding from the Glasnevin and Drumcondra area of the city to the Clonee area in County Meath as a result of the Tolka river breaking its banks. Analysis has shown that this flood exceeded the scale of any previous flood on record in the catchment area. There was widespread flooding on Dublin's north side from Glasnevin to Ballybough. Since that flooding, the Office of Public Works, in co-operation with Dublin City Council and Fingal and Meath county councils, has implemented flood alleviation measures as recommended in the River Tolka flooding study that was under way at the time of the 2002 flood.

Most of these works have been constructed by the OPW's direct labour force as part of a scheme which, when completed, will provide protection against a flood event with a design return period of 100 years or, to put it another way, a 1% probability of occurring in any year. The OPW and Dublin City Council have pursued a policy of completing work in areas at highest risk of flooding. The works undertaken to date cover an area from Glasnevin Bridge to Luke Kelly Bridge in Ballybough and include provision of new walls and embankments on Botanic Avenue, provision of embankments at Griffith Avenue, replacement of Woodville Road footbridge, provision of walls downstream of Woodville Road footbridge to Drumcondra Bridge, provision of walls and embankments at Tolka Park Cottages, raising of the wall from Drumcondra Bridge to Tolka Park, protection works at the corner of Tolka Park, provision of walls and embankments from Tolka Park to Distillery Weir, widening of the bank on Clonliffe College grounds, the removal of Distillery Weir, the repair of scour damage at 112 to 114 Tolka Road, provision of new walls downstream of Distillery Road Bridge on the northern bank, and general channel maintenance.

These works are now mostly completed. There are further works which include the replacement of Distillery Road Bridge and the widening of some parts of the river around the bridge. Arrangements for the execution of these works have been the subject of negotiations between the city council and property owners and developers undertaking a development in that area. These negotiations are being finalised and works are expected to proceed in the immediate future. It is also intended to install a number of pumping stations to deal with any risk from storm water behind the defences during flood events.

With regard to the Royal Canal, flooding in the East Wall area has occurred as a result of tidal influences. The lower reaches of the canal are tidal and at times of exceptionally high tides in the River Liffey, the canal banks have been overtopped. Dublin City Council is constructing a cofferdam at the confluence of the Royal Canal and the River Liffey and this should help to alleviate the problem.

Flooding in this area is one of the many issues addressed in the report of the Dublin coastal flooding protection project which was commissioned by Dublin City Council and Fingal Country Council in association with the OPW and the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. It set out to examine the causes and impacts of flooding from Portmarnock to Booterstown and to identify appropriate measures to deal with the flood risk in the area. The report has been received by the OPW in recent weeks. It is a very detailed document and is being examined. It recommends a number of actions, including early flood warning systems and the development of a number of flood defence schemes. The construction costs of the proposals are estimated between €64 million and €95 million.

As the report is large and complex, it will take time to examine. Once this is done, the OPW will meet city council officials and other relevant bodies to discuss the proposals with a view to developing a priority list of measures which could be undertaken in coming years. Any funding which may be required from the OPW will be considered at that stage in the context of the OPW's annual budget for flood relief projects, the large number of flood alleviation projects and non-structural measures being advanced by the OPW and the urgency attached to the various measures recommended in the report.

Regulation of the insurance industry does not fall within my remit and I am not in a position to respond to that element of the Deputy's matter on the Adjournment. However, my officials have had discussions with the Insurance Industry Federation on other matters and it was indicated that insurance companies would take account of the existence of improved flood defences where relief schemes have been undertaken. The OPW is considering the most appropriate way to make this information available to the insurance industry and other interested parties.

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