Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. It was very good of her to allow the debate on it to proceed in light of the absence of the relevant Minister, Deputy Kelly.

The Office of Public Works is the lead State agency for flood risk management in Ireland. I understand the office is putting in place a range of measures to assist householders in flood-prone areas, based on its national programme of river catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, studies. This work is being undertaken in partnership with local authorities in order to meet national flood policy needs. The final outcome of the CFRAM programme is a comprehensive plan for areas at risk of flooding. This plan examines all possible options to address flood risk in particular areas and sets out a series of integrated measures of a structural and non-structural nature, as appropriate. I understand that draft CFRAM plans will be available by the end of 2015, with a view to their being finalised in 2016. These plans have already been completed in many areas.

It may be the case that in certain situations, structural or hard defence measures, such as walls or embankments, are not possible or appropriate to address the flood risk affecting a particular community or property. In such instances, the CFRAM plan may examine the viability of an option of individual property-protection measures as a way of addressing the flooding problem. This, however, would be considered in the context of the overall scheme to be implemented for the community in an area at risk of flooding as a whole, rather than as a type of grant scheme for individual property owners. As flood mitigation works issues do not fall within the area of responsibility of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, he has no plans for a housing grant scheme of the type suggested.

While the CFRAM programme will map out the State's strategy and priorities for flood defence investment for the period from 2016 onward, significant investment has already been, and will continue to be, made pending the programme's completion. From 1995 to date, almost €370 million was invested in flood risk management measures. These measures have protected 10,500 properties and have delivered benefits estimated at over €1 billion in terms of damage and losses avoided. The Government has prioritised investment in flood risk management by allocating a further €225 million for the period 2012 to 2017 as part of its infrastructure and capital investment framework. This is a very substantial financial commitment in the current difficult conditions and underlines the priority the Government attaches to this matter. There has also been significant investment in smaller scale, localised protection measures through the OPW's minor works scheme. Approximately €29.3 million has been approved for 422 projects since 2009, with approximately €25.1 million being expended on works which have been undertaken so far.

In March 2014 the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works announced details of a memorandum of understanding between the OPW and Insurance Ireland, the representative body for insurance companies in Ireland, on the exchange of information on completed flood defence works. Under this, Insurance Ireland members have been taking into account all information provided by the OPW when assessing exposure to flood risk within these areas since 1 June last. To date, the Office of Public Works has provided to Insurance Ireland information on 12 completed flood relief schemes in an agreed format. It should be borne in mind that decisions on the provision of flood insurance cover and on the premiums to be charged will remain a commercial matter for individual insurance companies. However, it would be the expectation that the operation of the memorandum of understanding and the continuing investment by the State in major flood defence works will lead to the greater availability of flood insurance in areas benefiting from those works.

I again thank the Deputy for raising this issue.

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