Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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3. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps he is taking to expedite flood relief schemes to protect residents, businesses, and local communities at risk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22173/23]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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What steps is the Minister State taking to expedite the flood relief schemes to protect residents, businesses and local communities at risk? The people of Crossmolina in particular and in Ballina are still waiting. They people in Crossmolina are waiting for the River Deel flood relief scheme. When will the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, sign off on this scheme? I believe it is on his desk and ready to be signed off.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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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.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the fact he spoke about projects in Westport, Ballina and Crossmolina going ahead. I want to ask about Crossmolina in particular. The people there have been told that money has been ring-fenced for the work to go ahead. This week I was informed by the Minister that all work on environmental assessments and review is due to be completed in the coming weeks. If the Minister then makes an order confirming the scheme, how long until we see the work commencing? Is the project there completely budgeted for? Are the resources in place? Until these issues are addressed, there can be no other development in the town. There are 116 properties under direct threat from flooding. Ballina is also in need of flood relief, with 175 homes and small businesses identified as being under threat. Properties located in Bachelors Walk, Arbuckle Row and Clare Street suffered extensive flooding and damage a number of years ago and they are still under threat. Stage 1 commenced in March 2020, but this only covers scheme development and preliminary design. Will the Minister of State provide an update on when this project will commence?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh. I have been in Crossmolina on a couple of occasions. I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for the support associated with this. She is conscious of the fact that Mayo County Council is the applicant to the planning authority and, under the Arterial Drainage Act, the Minister is the consenting authority. We cannot predetermine the outcome of a planning process which must go through its natural conclusion.

With regard to where it is at present, in September 2020, the OPW submitted confirmation documentation for the scheme. Following two rounds of public consultation, the Department engaged independent environmental consultants to review the submissions received to carry out the necessary environmental assessments as required under Directive 2011/92/EU and Directive 2014/52/EU. Following completion of this work, a decision will be made by Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform on whether to confirm the Crossmolina flood relief scheme. If confirmation for the scheme is granted, the scheme can progress quickly to construction through the OPW's own direct workforce. I hope this can happen as soon as possible.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State and I welcome this. I want to ask about Ballina and Westport. I know the Minister of State will agree that projects take a very long time. Is there some way they can be streamlined? I know everything has to go through environmental impact assessments but people's lives are being left on hold while all of these things are happening. There cannot be development in the town. There is a real opportunity cost here in terms of developments not being able to go ahead, businesses not been able to expand and people waiting all the time for the next flood when their properties will be damaged and worse. It is holding back growth in small towns such as Ballina, Westport and Crossmolina until we get the projects done. We really must look after this core infrastructure. Otherwise the other development cannot happen.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I do not disagree with Deputy Conway-Walsh. If we had a magic bullet to circumvent the regulations we must go through, we certainly would be using it. Many towns, villages and cities such as Galway are under constant threat. When people are living under a psychological threat such as this, it causes a lot of mental trauma. It is not for the want of energy and enthusiasm from our point of view. If we go bald-headed into a process whereby we may not get planning permission and we end up in the High Court with a judicial review, I would be questioned as to why we did not follow an exhaustive process to make sure all of the environmental regulations in particular were attached.

I have been to Crossmolina and Ballina. I have seen at first hand the need for these schemes. By the same token, the scheme in Westport, which is under construction at present, will considerably improve the situation for the people living there. We want to do more. It is not a resource issue nor a money issue but rather a procedural issue. I wish it were faster but at present it is not.