Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The challenge posed by rising sea levels is clear and the practical implementation of measures to mitigate these risks, particularly for coastal communities, is critical, as the Deputy set out in clear and strong terms. I welcome the opportunity to bring some clarity on the matter. Climate change projections indicate flooding events are expected to become more frequent and severe in the future. This will have a considerable impact on flood risk in Ireland, particularly where our cities and most of our main towns are located, either on the coast or alongside our estuaries or rivers.

Following the review of national flood policy launched in 2018, the OPW flood risk management plans, which are a roadmap for flood risk management measures, will, in conjunction with flood risk schemes already constructed, provide protection to approximately 95% of properties assessed to be at significant risk of flood. Building on the flood risk management plan, the OPW has published a climate change sectoral adaptation plan for flood risk management 2019 to 2024, in line with the requirements of the national adaptation framework and the Climate Action Plan 2019. The sectoral plan, approved by the Government in October 2019, includes 21 actions, which are being implemented as part of the strategy, to meet the objectives of ongoing research and assessment, adapting our flood risk management practice across government to effectively manage the potential impacts of climate change on future flood risk.

To support the need for adaptation, the Government established the interdepartmental group on managing coastal change to scope out an approach for the development of a national co-ordinated and integrated strategy to manage the projected impact of coastal change. The interdepartmental group is jointly chaired by the Minister's Department and the OPW. It has met on three occasions to date and is also supported by a technical working group.

During 2021, to assist and support the work of the group, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the OPW also engaged in a series of bilateral meetings with relevant Departments and key stakeholders to discuss the emerging work of the group and to allow issues relating to coastal change management to be identified and explored in the context of the particular operations of the participating organisations. These meetings were useful in clarifying matters.

On the specific question the Deputy asked, the interdepartmental group is advancing the drafting and finalising of its report, which will be presented to Government for its consideration shortly.

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