John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Yes.

Given the breadth of functions served by the Shannon, including tourism, electricity generation and fisheries, the key recommendation from expert reports on how to manage the flood risk on the Shannon is to take a river basin approach and ensure plans and development are closely co-ordinated. Last winter, the Government took decisive action to establish the Shannon flood risk State agency co-ordination working group. Its extensive work programme, published on the OPW website, highlights the current proactive and co-ordinated approach by all State agencies to flood risk management on the Shannon catchment. The working group is building on the existing work and commitment of all the State agencies. The group is solutions-focused and designed to deliver the highest level of efficiencies to add value to the catchment flood risk assessment and management programme. The group has taken decisions to introduce initiatives to pilot lowering lake levels on Lough Allen and consider a strategic maintenance programme as well as the benefits of piloting removal of pinch points for the River Shannon.

Under a memorandum of understanding between the OPW and Insurance Ireland, information is provided to the insurance industry on the flood relief schemes completed to the once-in-100-year standard. This is the standard of protection required by the insurance industry. All OPW schemes are now designed to this standard and make allowance for climate change. There is now clear evidence that this strategy is working, as demonstrated by an incremental increase in the provision of flood insurance in areas protected by flood defences now having up to 90% flood insurance cover. The industry is now working with the OPW to re-evaluate its risk assessment of demountable defences and to explore other means of sharing data to inform flood insurance cover better. I will conclude because I want to allow in my colleague.

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