Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Members for their contributions to this debate. I also endorse amendment No. 2 proposed by the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, earlier in this constructive debate. The Government cannot solve all the flooding problems overnight, which we and the people would like to do, but more importantly, we cannot do it alone. Dutch experts have benchmarked our approach to flood risk management and concluded that it is in line with international best practice and is well on track.

It is important to place on the record the Government's investment, the actions taken and the measures implemented to date, together with plans and preparations to tackle future flooding. Since 1995, €370 million spent is yielding significant benefit in terms of protecting 12,000 properties in this country. The economic benefit to the State in terms of damage and losses avoided is estimated at €1.2 billion. Some 37 major flood defence schemes have been completed and, as witnessed last winter, successfully provided protection to 7,000 properties. A further 5,000 properties have been protected from localised flooding through 400 projects completed under the OPW's minor works scheme. A further 200 projects are approved for funding. Some 650,000 acres of agricultural land are protected through the programmed maintenance of 11,500 km of river channels by the OPW under the Arterial Drainage Acts. The OPW has an agreement with GSI and the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Naughten, where GSI is undertaking modelling of the turlough flooding in Roscommon, Galway and Longford. This work is ongoing since August last and will inform the design of flood relief projects for these areas.

Since last winter, the OPW has accelerated its resources to complete major flood defence. This year, there are a record 12 major schemes under construction and a further 23 at design development stage. Those under construction include schemes in Bandon, Skibbereen, Claregalway and Dunkellin and schemes are planned for Crossmolina, which was spoken about earlier, Clonakilty, Templemore, Enniscorthy, south Galway and Athlone.

Yesterday, I announced a major investment in flood relief works for Cork city bringing protection to 2,100 properties at the official launch of the public exhibition stage for the lower Lee, Cork city, flood relief scheme. This scheme is the largest flood relief scheme ever to be undertaken in Ireland at an estimated cost of €140 million at current prices.

CFRAM was mentioned earlier. The catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, programme is the largest flood risk management planning programme ever undertaken by the State, and Members from all sides of the Houses are taking credit for it. It has now identified feasible flood relief measures to provide protection to 95% of at-risk properties in the 300 CFRAM at-risk areas. The details are set out in 29 draft flood risk management plans which I have published since July this year for public consultation.

The OPW is continuing to work with communities to ensure their views and concerns are taken into account. Nearly 500 public consultation days have been held on the CFRAM programme. At these events, the CFRAM teams have presented the maps, issues, options and proposed measures for discussion with people, face-to-face in their own communities. People's views have been listened to and have helped form what is now proposed in the draft flood risk management plans, and will inform the final plans that I expect to bring to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for his approval in spring 2017.

These plans are a major step forward to help Government make informed investment decisions. The Government's commitment to continue support of flood relief is underlined in the provision of €430 million to flood risk management in the Capital Investment Plan 2016-2021. Annually, the allocation for flood defence works will more than double from €45 million to €100 million per annum. This year, we are on target to spend, for the first time, €52 million on flood risk schemes.

The structural measures in the plans have been taken to outline design and will reduce the time needed to implement these projects in the future. In some cases, we may reduce the timeframe from inception to construction by up to two years.

I am working with ministerial colleagues to accelerate the timeline for delivery of flood-related works across the areas of planning, procurement and construction. As a result, the recently published general scheme of the housing (miscellaneous provisions) Bill 2016 provides for new screening arrangements for environmental impact assessments, EIA, for flood related works and is aimed at streamlining the process of determining planning consent for the undertaking of such works. In tandem with the new EIA screening provisions in the general scheme, it is proposed to review the mandatory EIA thresholds for flood-related works.

I am hoping that these measures will result in a further significant reduction in the time taken to bring the schemes to construction stage.

Since the introduction of the minor works scheme in 2009, funding of almost €38 million has been approved by the OPW for almost 600 minor works projects to enable local authorities to address localised flooding. Approximately 82 applications have been approved for funding so far this year with a combined value of €4.3 million. While the minor works scheme has been very successful to date, the OPW is currently reviewing its operation to see what changes may be appropriate to ensure that the scheme remains relevant to, and can continue to support, local authorities in their work to address smaller scale flooding problems in their areas.

In 2017, the OPW will be commencing work on the second cycle of the EU floods directive to report on and commence further assessment and planning to address further areas at potential risk from flooding. This next cycle will include a focus on further feasible measures to manage the flood risk in rural areas. This is something that has been discussed throughout this debate and it will be dealt with there. The flood risk management plans emphasise the importance of non-structural measures and support the whole-of-government approach adopted to tackle flood risk management. I have been chairing the interdepartmental group and the group's progress was reported to the Government on 8 November. The Government noted progress on the broad range of policies and measures being considered, including those announced by the Government in 2016, such as progress with the Government’s pilots to inform Government measures to support individual property protection, another issue raised tonight, and the implementation plan for the establishment of the national flood forecasting service within Met Éireann over the coming five years, which has been agreed. Work to commence that service has begun.

The Government also recently agreed to introduce a one-off targeted voluntary homeowner relocation scheme for those primary residential properties that flooded during last winter and had flooded in previous years. This scheme will be a targeted humanitarian aid scheme to ensure the worst affected homeowners have a primary residence. Investment will be prioritised and targeted at those homeowners at greatest risk of future flooding and who would gain greatest benefit from State support to relocate. The Government has agreed that while the terms of funding for relocation will be in line with the previous scheme in 2009, I am finalising, in conjunction with local authorities and other State agencies, the administrative arrangements to appraise the Government and to ensure this one-off scheme is reflective of its targeted objective and all relevant circumstances. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is also working with my office towards evaluating, on an individual basis, if any alternative remedial works can be undertaken to protect the farm buildings that flooded last winter in order to inform any scheme for voluntary farm building relocation.

Regarding the River Shannon, last winter the Government took decisive action to support the existing plans in place to address flooding on the Shannon and established the Shannon flood risk State agency co-ordination working group to enhance ongoing co-operation of all State agencies involved with the River Shannon. The group is focused on ensuring the best possible level of co-ordination between all statutory bodies involved in flood risk management on the Shannon. It is solutions are focused and through the course of its work the group has decided to trial the lowering of the lake levels in Lough Allen. That is under way. Most recently, on 2 December in Carrick-on-Shannon, the group took a major decision to consider developing a plan for a strategic maintenance programme on the River Shannon. This is an unprecedented decision. It intends to bring together all of the relevant stakeholders to discuss, initiate and manage the development of this programme. I am delighted that the group, which is chaired by the OPW, has taken the decision to develop a plan for strategic maintenance works on the River Shannon. There have been many calls for a maintenance programme to be put in place for the Shannon. A planned maintenance programme for the Shannon would complement the group’s work programme and the specific measures that are identified in the CFRAM plan. In addition, the group has taken a decision to examine practical solutions that may help reduce flood risk on the Shannon, such as at the pinch points.

Before concluding I will recall the winter flooding in 2015-16. While the Office of public Works has a co-ordination role in flood risk management generally, local authorities are designated as the lead agencies for responding to serious weather events. I take this opportunity to thank everybody involved, especially the local volunteers who gave up their own comfort and families at Christmas to give practical and emotional support to their neighbours and communities, as demonstrated by Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran last winter. In conclusion, we cannot solve all flooding problems overnight and, importantly, we cannot do it alone. The benefits will accelerate in line with the acceleration of construction and investment. We will do that. There are 29 flood risk management plans in place. Having regard to all I have said, I strongly commend the amended Government motion to the House.

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