Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Eugene Murphy for his kind words. I look forward to working with him as Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on flood relief. I congratulate him on taking on that position. Like Deputy Murphy, my constituency has been well and truly doused with water since 2009 and again in 2012 and 2015, and I share his concerns.

I am grateful to Deputy Murphy for raising this issue and for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the response of the Office of Public Works, OPW, to the challenges posed by the risk and actuality of flooding. I am very aware of the impact on communities of the severe flooding events of last winter and the continuing risk that flooding will recur. During those flood events, a co-ordinated response was provided in line with the Government's national emergency framework. The broad-ranging response targeted the immediate needs of people and communities through the delivery of sandbags and pumps to prevent flood waters entering properties, the deployment of Defence Forces personnel to assist local authorities, the provision through the humanitarian assistance scheme of funding for food, clothes, accommodation, the replacement of household equipment and structural repairs for the households worst affected by flooding, and the provision of special supports to businesses and farmers to ameliorate the consequences of the floods.

The OPW, as the lead State body for the co-ordination and implementation of Government policy on the management of flood risk, is committed to a planned and structured approach to the issue. The core strategy for addressing the significant flood risks nationally is the catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, programme of the Office of Public Works, which is being undertaken by engineering consultants on behalf of the OPW, working in partnership with local authorities. A total of 300 locations nationwide are being assessed which have been designated as potentially being at significant flood risk. The CFRAM programme involves the production of predictive flood mapping for each of the 300 locations, the development of preliminary flood risk management options and the production of flood risk management plans.

The draft flood mapping is now being finalised following completion of the national statutory public consultation on 23 December 2015. Work on the development of preliminary options to address flood risk is under way. Following finalisation of the mapping and the identification of flood risk management options, the final output from this important project will be integrated flood risk management plans containing specific measures to address in a comprehensive and sustainable way the significant flood risks identified. The draft plans are scheduled to be made available for public consultation in the coming weeks. Following the public consultation process, the finalised plans will include a prioritised list of measures, both structural and non-structural, to address flood risk in an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective manner.

The Government's Capital Investment Plan 2016 to 2021 includes a significant increase in the levels of investment in the area of flood relief, and this investment programme will allow for consideration of measures arising from the flood risk management plans. A total of €430 million has been made available in the investment plan.

Progress has continued this year on the existing capital works programme of the OPW through ongoing construction works on five major projects and the advancement of many others through design and procurement stages. Works have commenced on the Claregalway flood relief scheme in County Galway, and works will shortly be commenced on schemes in Skibbereen, where the contract was signed only last Tuesday, and in Bandon, County Cork, Foynes, County Limerick, and the Dunkellin river and Aggard stream in County Galway.

In addition, several schemes have been advanced through design and will be progressed into the confirmation stage under the Arterial Drainage Acts or planning under the planning regulations later this year. These include Blackpool, Clonakilty, Glashaboy and Douglas in County Cork and Templemore, County Tipperary. The OPW and Cork City Council have also agreed in principle to advance flood relief works in Cork city as part of a public realm project being undertaken by the city council on Morrison's Island.

Local flooding issues are a matter, in the first instance, for each local authority to investigate and address, and local authorities may carry out flood mitigation works using their own resources. The OPW also funds local authorities for small-scale flood relief studies and works up to a cost limit of €500,000 under the minor flood mitigation works scheme. Already in 2016, the OPW has approved 25 projects in various parts of the country.

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