Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 71: To ask the Minister for Finance the steps he will take to address the summer flooding in the Shannon Callows; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48334/10]

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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A national programme of catchment flood risk assessment and management studies, CFRAMs, which will lead to the development of comprehensive flood risk assessment and management plans for areas of significant flood risk, is being rolled out by the Office of Public Works. The appointment of consultants to undertake catchment-based flood risk assessment and management studies for the River Shannon is being finalised as we speak, and an announcement will probably issue later this afternoon.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Good news.

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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The summer flooding of the Shannon Callows between Portumna and Athlone will be specifically examined in this study to reflect the social and environmental damage it causes in the catchment. In general, this summer flooding arises from the restricted capacity of the River Shannon at this location. Flooding can occur as a result of large flows from the River Suck, the Upper Shannon from Lough Ree, or a combination of both. The River Brosna can also contribute to flooding in this area. I am pleased to note that minor works were carried out on the Little Brosna last summer, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service has now approved further minor works at Shannon Harbour, which will be carried out when water levels and environmental windows permit.

The OPW has examined flood profiles for various flood events, large and small, to identify localised constrictions to flood flow between Banagher and Meelick. Arising from this investigation, minor maintenance involving the removal of low-lying branches and some trees on the New Cut and a number of small islands downstream of Banagher has been proposed. A license application has been submitted to the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the OPW is currently awaiting a decision on the matter. The proposed maintenance would be directed towards the mitigation of smaller floods.

The Shannon Callows is an important asset to the farming community and traditional farming practices are recognised as contributing to the economic, social and environmental management of this unique area. There is no doubt that the recent pattern of flooding in the Callows has caused significant hardship to many members of the community. I visited the Callows area in 2008, and in 2009 I accompanied the president of the IFA, local residents and public representatives to see the situation for myself and talk through the issues. I am conscious of the serious impact on both farming and the environment in the area due to the annual winter flooding and periodic summer flooding.

I have instructed my officials to identify any interim measures to be pursued in advance of the Shannon CFRAM study. A combination of further minor works and refined management of water levels will continue to assist in mitigating flood impacts. The impacts in 2010 were significantly less than those experienced in the previous two years.

In parallel with the commissioning of the CFRAM study for the River Shannon, the OPW is holding ongoing discussions with Waterways Ireland and the ESB to review water management protocols for the major storage areas in the Shannon system. Control of outflows from the Callows area is managed by the ESB and Waterways Ireland. The OPW has engaged with Waterways Ireland and the ESB to examine the most effective management of the sluices at Meelick and Lough Ree. Waterways Ireland has indicated that it will examine an upgrade to Meelick Weir with a view to automating the control of water levels at the weir.

In September 2010, the ESB carried out discharges from Lough Ree with a view to providing storage in the lake against winter floods. This allowed for some reduction of the level of Lough Ree prior to the winter rains. The ESB has also engaged with each local authority in the Shannon catchment, issuing twice-weekly e-mail updates on the status of the Shannon lakes and alerts about major spills at Parteen Weir. This data is based on three- to five-day rainfall forecasts and allows for several days' warning of potential flooding. In addition, a number of information sessions have been held for local authority officials, and further sessions will be held for council members.

Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply and welcome the good news that work on the Shannon Callows will commence this year. I do not like reminding the Minister of previous statements, but he told me something similar last year about a scheme in north Tipperary, the Templemore relief scheme.

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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It is making very good progress.

Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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I am delighted to hear that. I was going to ask the Minister to confirm that he told me about the scheme at the start of last year and ask him whether it would at least start this year.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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As there is a mobile phone interfering with the sound system, Members should ensure that all mobile phones are switched off entirely.

Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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It is not mine.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I am making a general observation.

Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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Notwithstanding that, it is not mine.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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It is somebody's.

Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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With regard to the Shannon Callows, the Minister of State briefly mentioned tributaries, including the River Brosna. Are specific works scheduled for these tributaries? Will the work be done under contract or directly by the OPW? The Minister of State also mentioned that part of the solution to the problem was the storage of water from the River Shannon. Does that mean that in order to drain the Callows it is essential that we proceed with the proposal to take the water out of the Shannon and pipe it to Dublin? Is that what the Minister of State meant by his reference to storage?

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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A broad range of questions.

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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Yes. With regard to the flood relief scheme in Templemore, I am glad to say it is making good progress. As it is a larger scheme, it has had to go through different processes of inquiry, but money has been provided in our flood budget for the scheme to commence this year.

Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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Part of the Lowry deal.

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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As a fellow Tipperary man, I am naturally very pleased about that.

The minor relief works along the Shannon in the vicinity of the Callows area can be done by any of the authorities in the area, supervised by the Office of Public Works, and of course we also have a direct labour force. We are not talking about draining the Callows, which is an environmentally sensitive area. It would be extremely far-fetched to link Dublin's water supplies and storage facilities to the solution of the Callows problem.

Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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As a fellow Tipperary man, I acknowledge and appreciate the Minister of State's efforts concerning the Templemore scheme. It is nice to see that something can happen in Tipperary without a Lowry deal. There are three weeks left to ensure it happens, so I ask the Minister of State to use those three weeks.

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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It is already in the budget and we are ensuring that it will happen.

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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It might be a bit longer than that.