Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

During the six years to 2009, the OPW has invested €130 million in capital flood relief projects alone with a further €112 million being spent on drainage maintenance and hydrometric programmes.

Major flood relief schemes involve complex engineering and construction operations and invariably have lengthy lead-in times. Variations in the timelines and associated expenditures on such major engineering projects can arise for a variety of factors, including adverse weather conditions, archaeological finds, incidence of contamination or other local environmental or ecological issues. Accordingly, the scheduling of project profiling and expenditure profiling is, of necessity, an imprecise art. The OPW has already profiled expenditure in excess of €200 million on approximately 15 major capital schemes, including provision for works in the Lee catchment from now to 2014.

The draft plan sets out clearly a proposed phasing framework for the Lee catchment. At this early stage, one can anticipate that non-structural options, which are generally lower cost, are likely to be the first to be taken forward, followed by structural options over a longer timescale. All structural options will have a lead-in time for full scheme development and detailed design and a five to ten year programme or longer might be expected for some structural options.

At the launch of the draft plan this week, I highlighted some of the measures it sets out. They include works to increase the level of protection for Cork city against tidal flooding, works to protect the city and vulnerable properties upstream against river flooding — this will provide greater flexibility for the ESB to draw down levels in the Inniscarra and Carrigadrohid reservoirs in advance of a flood, reducing the need to discharge high flows necessary to ensure dam safety — flood protection schemes for Midleton, Baile Mhic Ire, Douglas and Togher, minor works funded by the OPW to reduce risk at Little Island and Crookstown, and the development and implementation of flood forecasting systems for river flooding as well as tidal flooding from the harbour. The OPW estimates that the capital cost of these measures will amount to approximately €30 million over the period 2010-15.

In addition to these schemes, the OPW is also progressing flood protection schemes at Mallow and Fermoy. In County Cork, we spent slightly under €10 million in 2009 and we will already be spending slightly over €10 million in 2010, without taking into account immediate measures arising from the CFRAM study and minor works approved. Some 20-25% of total OPW flood defence spending shows a high level of Government commitment to addressing flooding in the Cork area. The feasibility of schemes at Bandon, Skibbereen and Clonakilty will be explored, but my office and I have already committed in principle to a full flood defence scheme in Bandon.

In 2009, Cork County Council was allocated €31,500 under the OPW minor works scheme. We have recently written to the Cork city and county councils seeking their priorities for the 2010 scheme. I reiterate that work on several of these measures, including the protection of Cork city and Baile Mhic Ire, will begin this year. Some of these works will require more time for detailed design. I will work hard to ensure funding for these works is protected within the overall capital provision for my office. Naturally, successive governments will have to make their own financial dispositions. The Lee CFRAMS study will be a bible of the next Government, whatever its composition. Cost-benefit analysis and value for money will guide future governments as well as the current one.

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