Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is in my area of responsibility and I am glad to be able to answer it. The Office of Public Works, OPW, as the lead agency for flood risk management, is co-ordinating the delivery of measures towards meeting the Government’s national flood risk policy across three areas of flood risk management, which takes the potential impacts of climate change into account under the headings of prevention, protection and preparedness. A range of structural and non-structural measures have already been implemented to address flood risk, including emergency response, flood forecasting and warning, and planning guidelines.

Since 1995, significant progress has been made by the OPW on these defences. To date, 53 schemes have been completed, which are providing protection to more than 12,000 properties and an economic benefit of almost €1.9 billion. The OPW is responsible for leading and co-ordinating the implementation of localised flood relief schemes to protect Ireland against significant flood risk from rivers, the sea and climate adaptation. The Government has committed €1.3 billion to 2030 to cover 150 schemes.

Since 2018, a partnership between the OPW and local authorities has allowed Ireland to treble to 90 the number of flood relief schemes at design, development and construction stages. There are seven flood relief schemes at construction stage, including Cois Abhainn in Westport in County Mayo. Once completed, they will provide flood protection to approximately 1,700 properties. Six more schemes are due to start construction this year, including Crossmolina. Like all schemes, designing a technical solution, ensuring a robust approach to the environmental assessments and meeting other regulatory requirements is essential to inform the best scheme and to reduce the risk of challenges to a proposed scheme.

Through this increase today the Government has completed or has work under way to manage 80% of Ireland's flood risk. Designing and constructing schemes for today's risk also includes making sure they are adaptable to manage the future additional flood risk from climate change. The OPW and local authorities are working in a very challenging environment to deliver and expand a programme of relief schemes due to resource constraints in a highly specialised and professional market. I announced in Letterkenny last week that my office is trialling a new delivery model for flood relief schemes that will inform the most efficient approach to delivering the next tranche. This is being led by Donegal County Council, Kilkenny County Council and the Department.

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