John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator O'Donovan for raising this important issue, which was debated before in the Seanad. A flood risk assessment and management study for the town of Skibbereen is being advanced by Cork County Council in partnership with the Office of Public Works, OPW, which is providing the funding. Consultants were appointed in 2011 and the project is currently at feasibility study and environmental assessment stage. There have been two information days where an initial preferred scheme was presented to the public, with the main proposals, including new walls and embankments, some localised channel widening, localised regrading of the channel and some improvements to the local drainage system.

While it was intended to place the preferred scheme on formal public exhibition towards the end of 2012, some delay was incurred due to the need to assess further information from the existing river gauges at Ballyhilty and the need to undertake further surveys. The delay is regrettable but it is vital that all available information is fully and thoroughly assessed before formalisation of the preferred scheme so that the most effective and appropriate scheme can be put forward for consideration by the people of Skibbereen and other stakeholders.

A date for the exhibition launch has now been set and I am pleased to say the process will commence on 11 April 2013. The proposals will be on display for one month with members of the design team attending on specified days to deal with queries from the public. Observations will be accepted for a further month, all of which will be assessed and responded to before further decisions are made on the progression of the scheme.

The OPW and Cork County Council have been in discussions in regard to ways in which some of the delay can be made up. It is now intended to bring forward the timing of the site investigations required for the progression of the detailed design of the scheme. This will allow the detailed design to commence as soon as the public exhibition phase is completed, subject to the preferred scheme being generally accepted by the public in Skibbereen.

As the Senator is aware from previous discussions, Cork County Council applied for separate funding in 2010 and 2011 for a study to develop an early flood warning system. However, as I have indicated before, it was considered best that the full feasibility study consider the efficiency of a flood warning system for the town rather than undertake another study. It is my hope that the scheme to be placed before the public in April will be received positively and that, subject to no significant delays occurring with the programme for the detailed design stage and procurement of a civil works contractor, it may be possible to commence construction works for the scheme in mid-2014. I am pleased to confirm that the OPW has made provision for the cost of implementing a scheme in Skibbereen in its financial profiles over the years 2014-16.