Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Carey for raising this important matter and for giving me the opportunity to address the House and update the Deputy and the people of Ennis about it. During November 2009, following an exceptionally prolonged and intense wet spell, Saint Flannan's College in Ennis, County Clare, and built-up areas in its environs, experienced severe flooding from Flannan's stream. This flooding, which was reported to have been the worst in living memory, forced the college to close for several days in addition to flooding or cutting off access to a number of homes in nearby estates. Furthermore, important town access roads in the area were impassable and an electricity supply substation at the college was switched off as a precaution due to the high flood levels.

It was agreed that Clare County Council would commission consultants with a view to bringing forward proposals to address the problem in this area, with funding from my office, the Office of Public Works. The project, which is referred to by the council as Ennis south flood relief scheme, will complement the Ennis upper scheme, which was completed some years ago, and the Ennis lower flood relief scheme, which was completed this year. Clare County Council engaged Hydor Environmental Ltd. to produce a feasibility report on St. Flannan's Stream with a view to implementing a flood alleviation scheme. Following from this report, the preferred option consists of very substantial upgrading of approximately 2 km of embankments and the construction of two culverts approximately 1.4 km in length, together with a pump station and associated works.

All flood relief schemes that are funded by the OPW must meet certain criteria, including acceptability on cost-benefit grounds. The OPW and Clare County Council engaged in discussions over some months regarding aspects of the cost-benefit analysis of the scheme completed by the council's consultants. Arising from these discussions, the OPW has recently notified the council that it is now satisfied that the scheme is economically justifiable and has advised the council of its agreement that the project should proceed. I know that will come as great relief to Deputy Carey and others in Ennis.

Clare County Council is at present conducting a tender competition to appoint contractors to carry out the works. It is expected that a tenderer will be selected in the coming weeks, and the council hopes to be in a position to award the contract in late January or early February 2015. The council expects that works will then commence in late February or early March 2015. I am pleased to be able to provide that definitive timeline to the Deputy.

I want to assure the Deputy that I and the OPW are fully committed to supporting Clare County Council in implementing the scheme for Ennis south in the shortest possible timeframe. I can further confirm that the OPW has made provision for the scheme in its multi-annual budget profiles to 2017. Funding for this scheme is in place, and I hope and expect that Clare County Council will now appoint a tenderer as quickly as possible and that construction will commence in February or March 2015 to provide much-needed assurance, relief and confidence to the people of Ennis.

Regarding the number of construction jobs, I will ask my office to revert to the Deputy on that.

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