Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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101. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the engagement there have been between his Department and other Departments in 2025 on the delivery of necessary flood protection schemes in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16111/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I wish to ask the Minister about the Department's engagements on the delivery of necessary flood protection schemes in the State. This is a follow-up to the two parliamentary questions I asked him previously to which I received written answers. It is that whole idea of everything from the minor flood mitigations, the works that are being done regarding coastal protections and the interdepartmental group. The national coastal change management strategy report referred to the need to build up a body of work.

Combined with delivering on CFRAM which in my constituency had to be reviewed on the basis of the flooding during the huge rains in Cooley in 2023, there is a huge body of work to be done, particularly in the part of the world I live in and I am very interested in the Minister of State's answer.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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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. A broad range of structural and non-structural measures have already been implemented to address flood risk under an approach structured around three pillars: prevention, protection, and preparedness. In the course of its work, the OPW engages with other Departments and State agencies through a variety of key groups and I will briefly outline the work of some of these groups.

In 2016, the Government established the Shannon Flood Risk State Agency Co-ordination Working Group to improve co-ordination between all State agencies involved with the River Shannon and to introduce co-ordinated flood risk solutions. The group, which is chaired by the OPW, co-ordinates the work of all members to maximise flood risk mitigation. The group meets biannually and is due to meet this month.

The group produces an annual work programme which demonstrates the extensive work and co-ordination by all State bodies to jointly help address flood risk on the Shannon under the following themes of activity: physical works, maintenance, water management, regulatory, policy and planning. The group has structured progress in several collaborative initiatives, including a planned programme of maintenance works.

The interdepartmental flood policy co-ordination group chaired by the OPW is a whole-of-government cross-sectoral group which co-ordinates national flood policy development and implementation. The purpose of the group is to give regard to the extent of non-structural solutions informing the implementation strategy of the 2018 flood risk management plans and to ensure policies that can benefit communities and individuals directly are carefully considered.

The group is preparing a wide range of significant policy initiatives, including avoiding construction in flood-prone areas, protecting at-risk communities against their significant flood risk and planning responses to reduce the impacts of flood events on communities and individuals. Many actions identified are now being implemented by the relevant Departments and offices. The group meets twice per annum and last met on 23 October 2024, with a further meeting due to be held imminently. I will give the Deputy more on that later.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I would appreciate that. The interdepartmental group has responsibility for delivering on policy and we saying we cannot have enough protections and mitigations. We know we are dealing with rising sea levels. When we talk about the likes of Dundalk, we are talking about a significant amount of redeemed land. Therefore, we were under pressure from the beginning. There are many houses under sea level and I have already heard much conversation regarding those who cannot get flood insurance or house insurance. Many of my neighbours would fall into that particular bracket. Some of that should be solved by delivering on CFRAM. I ask the Minister of State for a written update on that, although I do not expect it now. I got some detail regarding some of the CFRAM works that have been done but I ask for a timeline for the delivery on the sizable pieces that need to be done, particularly in and around the Dundalk area. Again, when will that body of work by the interdepartmental group be available, following the review looking at natural flood protections and at what you would call unnatural protections that we have seen in the likes of Holland. I had an engagement with the Dutch ambassador in the last while.

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to briefly raise the issue of the Graiguenamanagh flood relief scheme. It is my own town. In 2016, there was a devastating flood event which wreaked havoc and mayhem on many families and businesses in Graiguenamanagh. Funding was approved by the Minister of State in his previous term as Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW which was much welcomed and received. In March 2020, a design team was appointed to come up with a scheme but five years later and we have not even gone for planning permission. Getting these schemes over the line is far too slow. I ask the Minister of State to try to prioritise the Graiguenamanagh flood relief scheme and get it over the line, because, as I said, the flood event happened almost ten years ago and ten years later, we still do not have any works to make the town, the businesses and the families feel safer for the next event that may come.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I want to answer the question put to me. Other stuff has been brought up in relation to the Deputy's area and I fully understand that. I will get to him on that.

On the question, I can only say what I say to every Member of the House. When a politician turns the sod at a Garda station, it could be 11 years before we see that Garda station. The very same occurs with planning permission for flood defences. There are many hurdles. As a Department, we have to adhere to all these environmental things in order to deliver these schemes. Even though I announced a scheme back in the day, things change and can delay a scheme. I will get back to the Deputy with a detailed answer in due course.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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It is a very important scheme for Graiguenamanagh in County Kilkenny.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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It is necessary to make these interventions. All these schemes are very important because we have seen the huge issue with flooding in the last while. We are talking about better preparations for extreme weather conditions. It is absolutely vital we see delivery of these particular projects. I did not expect the Minister of State to come back with specifics. The Dundalk-Blackrock south relief scheme is really needed. Planning applications need to be submitted by the Q2 of 2027. In fairness, I got a written response on that but we must ensure there is delivery within those timelines and then beyond that, a wider piece of work needs to be done. That is the bit I asked about, that is, the interdepartmental group. When will we have the interdepartmental group's body of work and a more detailed plan on all those mitigations, including everything from the natural to the unnatural flood protection schemes that can be put in place? We have seen some of this work expertly done in places where farmers agree to allow certain parts of land to be flooded. They flood, the water recedes quickly and everyone gets back to normal but it also saves many homes.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I will give the Deputy an answer to the question he put to me but some of the issues he is putting to me now are very detailed. I apologise for the simple reason that last time we were here, he put questions to me and I did not have the answers. However, this time I have the answer and it is back to him. I will gladly work with him. There is a huge body of work being done. It is hard to predict when we will have everything because it changes from time to time. The different groups we have now set up for flooding are working well and are well maintained and managed. Good proposals have come from them but I would gladly sit down with the Deputy and have a chat about this.