Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. The Government decided on 11 February 2014 to allocate funding of up to €69.5 million to local authorities in the areas worst affected by the severe weather of December 2013 and January 2014 in order to support the restoration of public infrastructure which had been damaged. It was agreed that the funding would be made available via the Votes of the appropriate Departments and offices. These were: for the repair of roads, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: for piers and harbours other than those in the charge of local authorities, the Department of Agriculture, Food arid Marine; for coastal protection and repairs, the Office of Public Works, OPW; for tourism-related infrastructure as well as certain piers, harbours and other facilities in the charge of local authorities, what has become the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.

While the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government had an initial role in collating details and costs of damage in the immediate aftermath of the severe weather based on returns and estimates provided by local authorities, the aforementioned Departments and offices liaised directly with the local authorities regarding funding falling within their remit. In the case of Clare County Council, the Department of Housing, Planning arid Local Government, in its initial co-ordinating role, wrote to the council in February 2014 advising that a sum of up to €16.21 million was available to the council for the repair of damaged public infrastructure. This was broken down across relevant Departments and offices. The funding was based on the initial estimates of repairs submitted by Clare County Council. In these initial estimates, the council included a request for repairs in respect of damage caused totalling €1.64 million under the heading of other facilities. When more detailed claims for recoupment were received from the council in December 2015, this request was further clarified to be for repair to damage of various seawalls. In January 2016, Clare County Council was advised by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government that it should refer its claim for funding of these works to the OPW as the works related to repair of coastal protection infrastructure and were deemed ineligible for funding from the Department, which has no role in this regard.

Clare County Council has recouped a total of €3.92 million in capital expenditure from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government for infrastructure damage arising from the 2013-2014 storms and has been advised on a number of occasions that funding is not available from the Department for coastal protection repairs. A further notification will issue to Clare County Council confirming that position is still the case.