Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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6. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the report on the plan for flood relief works on the Upper Lee at Inchigeelagh, County Cork; when the project will progress to construction stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29079/18]

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I have raised the issue of flooding in the Upper Lee in Inchigeelagh and Ballingeary several times here to see if householders and business owners could get protection from those floods, as well as peace of mind. The announcement by the Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Moran, in May which suggested that these schemes were not in the first tranche of works was greeted with disappointment in Ballingeary and Inchigeelagh, as the Minister of State can imagine. We want to establish how we can progress and what plan the Minister of State has to protect people in Inchigeelagh and Ballingeary from floods in the Upper Lee.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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Since taking up office, I have been in Cork three times and I am fully aware of the issue of flooding. I thank the Deputies for the support they gave me in Cork and the officials of Cork County Council for the work they have done with the Department and the elected members in ensuring that the scheme we announced will get up and moving. In response to the Deputy's question, the catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, programme was announced in May with a proposed 118 schemes. It is not possible for me as Minister of State to announce all 118 schemes at once. We announced 50.

A proposed flood relief scheme for Inchigeelagh has been identified by the CFRAM programme to be progressed at a projected cost of €2.56 million. This proposed scheme consists of flood walls and embankments and will protect 28 properties when completed. The proposed scheme is not in the first tranche of projects to be progressed but the OPW and the local authority will work closely together to ensure that it will be commenced as soon as possible within the timeframe of the programme of investment. Once consultants are appointed to progress the scheme, consultation with statutory and non-statutory bodies, as well as the public, will take place the appropriate stage to ensure that all parties have the opportunity to make an input to the development of the scheme.

Since I have launched CFRAM, I have worked closely with local authorities to drive on the small and minor schemes. We have gone around the country where some local authorities have taken that up while others are slow. In the case of Cork it is very much working with me in respect of the Inchigeelagh scheme. I am very hopeful that we will have another meeting soon to progress the scheme. I know the Deputy has raised it in the House with my predecessor and with me. I give credit to him for that. I assure him that I am working with the Department and the officials of Cork County Council to fast-track the scheme.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge that the Minister of State has met officials and locals and is I am sure well familiar with, and has a good understanding of, the anxiety for homeowners and businesses which are being flooded in various parts along the Lee. Now that it is clear that the Government is not putting these down as tranche one, are these schemes in Inchigeelagh and Ballingeary now shelved and stopped for some time or what action is being taken in the background? Surely there must be some work prepared for tranche two. Onto what stages will these schemes be moved or are they parked up completely? If so, what can be done to ensure they get moving again because they are very badly needed not just for residential but also for commercial properties that are being flooded.

The Minister of State needs to take a holistic approach to the flooding. It is not just a question of walls along the villages, he needs to look up the Lee to opportunities for storing flooding, bogs, implications for forestry and so on.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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CFRAM has identified all these schemes and looked for solutions. We are considering holding ponds and not just walls and so forth. When schemes start to develop and complete, others will be added. That is the process. Where I am working with local authorities, most of what the Deputy proposed here today can be done by the local authority driving on the scheme and we will support it with funding. I work with the local authority in Cork, particularly in respect of the scheme the Deputy has mentioned, and the local authority is working closely with the Department. I am hopeful that I will have the answer for the Deputy next time and that he will not have to raise it here again but that I can send him a letter letting him know it is starting. I am working closely with every Member, including the Deputy, and am very much aware of flooding around the country. I have been in every part of Donegal where I visited people who had water up to their waists. We sorted that out with funding and driving on the scheme. This is not the Deputy's first time raising this issue and I assure him we will fast-track this as well.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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To go back to one of my original questions, if Inchigeelagh and Ballingeary are not included in tranche one of the scheme does that mean it is shelved and set aside or is there action going on in the background preparing it for the next tranche? What action will be taken to do that? There has been talk of temporary works. Some temporary works were undertaken previously in Ballingeary on the Lee. There have been proposals for works in Inchigeelagh for several years but they will not be the solution because they are temporary. The river will bring back any gravel that is taken out and vegetation will grow back. We need to ensure the wider scheme, the holistic scheme all the way up the Lee valley and particularly the Upper Lee valley, would not be shelved. It needs to be advancing in the background and be shovel-ready when the next tranche happens.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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No scheme has been shelved. The Department is working closely with all local authorities. I am giving the Deputy assurance today that if he goes to the local authority and asks it to take up the Inchigeelagh scheme and drive it forward I will support it with funding. We will work closely together with the local authority on that. That is what I have done since CFRAM was announced. I have gone around the country meeting local authorities to drive on schemes that the Deputy calls "shelved". I do not call any scheme shelved. My job as Minister of State for the people of this country is to make sure that every person is looked after and that is what I intend to do.