Results 321-340 of 3,951 for speaker:Seán Canney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: For further clarification, first, this is not a meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts. Second, we will spend €430 million in the first five years from 2016 to 2021. More funding will be made available after that. I wish to reiterate in order that the public knows this that money is being spent on flood defences in a serious way. We will be cranking up expenditure each year...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: The Deputy asked how much we will have spent by the end of the year. We are on target to meet our spend. The projects in hand at the moment are the ones in Ennis, the South Campshire in Dublin, Claregalway, Bandon, Skibbereen, Foynes, Dunkellin, Bray, the River Dodder and Waterford city phases 2 to 4. I believe we will do advance works in Morrison's Island in Cork as well as all the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: What do I say to the people about south Galway? As the Deputy knows, Galway County Council has made an application to the OPW for funding to commence works on the design of the initiatives for south Galway. GSI has been engaged to carry out further modelling of the turloughs which are a major issue down there. The object of the exercise is to present a strategic plan where we will try to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: Second.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: When the public consultation process began, Senator Kieran O'Donnell rang me directly. In fairness, he made the position clear at that stage. I suppose I would say that no process is infallible and that is why we have public consultation. The public consultation process was worthwhile for particular reasons. There is a particularly unique issue with Castleconnell and Montpelier. As I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: -----and bring forward a flood defence project or proposals for it. They will bring them to the local people as part of consultation process. That process has begun and we will keep the Senator informed of what is happening. There was a unique reason for it being left out. It was not deliberately left out, it was merely because of the unique aspect.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: The reason was the flood event of 2015-2016 was exceptionally severe, more extreme even than the Shannon flood of 2009, which, at the time, was the most extreme on record by a significant margin. The CFRAM flood study maps for Castleconell were developed prior to the flooding of last winter, making use of the information available at that time including information on the 2009 event. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: I cannot give the Senator specific dates. At our meeting yesterday, he asked for dates but we did not have them. I will get them to the Senator as soon as I can. I can assure him it is being expedited.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: There is just one other point of reassurance. After the 2009 flood, the Office of Public Works allocated funding of €117,000 to then Limerick County Council to carry out minor works and that would have been informed by what happened in 2009-2010. To date, there was one allocation for Castleconnell and Montpelier of €54,000 and another €63,000 was allocated. There is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: I thank the Senator. I had the privilege of travelling to Limerick during the summer for the signing of the contract relating to Foynes, which is a €2.8 million project. The works have commenced there. The project is a defence against coastal flooding, which is to be welcomed. In Limerick city, funding of €1.3 million for advance work at Verdant Place, King's Island, which...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: The memorandum of understanding can and will be made available through the Chairman to all members. The memorandum of understanding is basically an understanding between the Office of Public Works and Insurance Ireland on the protocols by which information is given to Insurance Ireland when flood relief schemes are completed. It also provides information on when demountables are put in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: Floodgates are being piloted in Crossmolina. If people have floodgates put in, they are considered demountables, which would be something of which we would inform Insurance Ireland. Until the major scheme is complete and certified as such, I cannot say that the person in question will get insurance in the interim.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: It is, and I am very conscious of it. The length of time it takes to bring a project from inception, as I call it, to construction stage, to the point at which the machines come on the site, is one of the issues I considered when I came into the Department. The average time has been seven years. We are working on a protocol whereby we would reduce that by at least three and a half years....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: Absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: Under the minor works applications, €189,270 has been made available this year to Mayo County Council to carry out works in Crossmolina. I understand - I hope - that those works are under way.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: The exhibition, which is the planning process, will happen early next year. The delay has been due to the options of building a bypass channel or reinforcing the bridge in the town. That issue has come up. The diversion channel seems to be the preferred option. What we call going to exhibition will happen in the first quarter of next year. As the Senator said, I have been to the area and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: The minor works applications include coastal erosion protection, so local authorities can make an application for funding that way. I believe that within CFRAM there is a number of coastal projects as well. I do not know how many off the top of my head, but there are a number involved. I read someplace yesterday about a number of projects in coastal areas relating to coastal protection....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: First of all, there is a carryover from last year of €7 million. The projection is to grow year-on-year the amount of money we are spending on capital works and flood relief rather than bring it down. My challenge is to get it spent. The OPW is working hard to ensure we spend the money, an unusual thing to say. I am hoping the local authorities will assist us in doing that through...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (29 Sep 2016)

Seán Canney: That is a good question. At the moment the Office of Public Works is recruiting some 60 people to help with the roll-out of the catchment flood risk assessment and management programme. Local authorities are working hard under tough conditions where flooding has occurred. This year the roads engineers have carved out three separate roads programmes. Normally, they would only be carrying...