Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach seo inniu. The Minister of State is very welcome to the House and I thank him for taking this Commencement matter.

Unfortunately, we are all very aware of the problems caused by the increased incidence of flooding in many parts of this country in recent years. For those affected, flooding can have devastating implications for their lives, their income and, in many cases, their businesses. Climate change has considerable implications in terms of floods but we, as a State, must be equally prepared to deal with the consequences and work to prevent damage to property and harm to people.

We have a major flooding issue in the village of Donaghmoyne in south County Monaghan. As the Minister of State will know, County Monaghan is a drumlin county. Donaghmoyne is a picturesque village that is situated in a valley and is surrounded by hills in each direction that stretch up to 400 m. In general, the ground is of good quality and there is no water run-off from fields. However, when there are heavy downpours of rain, which may occur up to four to five times a year, there is horrendous flooding along sections of the local L4510 road. A large proportion of the catchment drain is an open drain but in various areas where it changes to a pipe section major problems occur and there is overflowing, which means that homes, slatted houses, farmyards and schools are flooded. There is also a major issue with the main line that passes through the village. Locals believe that they can identify obstructions such as pipe size, capacity and debris. They believe that the type of pipe used is obsolete and lacks structural integrity.

Apart from the effect of flooding on local homes and farms, the local school is severely affected. A manhole on the main pipeline lies within the boundary of the school. When the pipe overflows, teachers have no option but to close the play area in the interests of health and safety. During the last flood a number of weeks ago, parents had to drive up on to the footpath and the teachers, who wore wellingtons, had to carry the children into the school. On a previous occasion parents had to lift their children over a 6 ft graveyard wall to get them into school. It is clear that there is a need for an investigation and examination of the local topography combined with CCTV surveys, and mapping of the pipeline and drainage, to determine the reasons for the flooding and to find ways to alleviate the problem.

I understand that funding may be available under the climate adaption measures from Monaghan County Council. I hope the Minister of State can confirm that and suggest a way forward for the residents of Donaghmoyne who are at their wits' end worrying every time they see rain falling that they will go through all this trauma again. I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's response.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. He has described what happened to parents and students when they tried to access the school during a flood, which is an unacceptable situation. We do not want anyone to go through that trauma again and that is why it is really important he raises this point in the Seanad today. I am pleased to provide a response to the issue of addressing flooding in Donaghmoyne village on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, OPW, who could not be here today.

The Government takes a proactive approach to managing Ireland’s flood risk. This is evidenced from the Government’s €1.3 billion planned investment in flood relief through the national development plan as part of Project Ireland 2040. This has allowed the Government, since 2018, to treble to 90 the number of major flood relief schemes at design and construction. All flood relief schemes are designed to be adaptable to the increased risk from climate change.

The OPW is responsible for the maintenance of arterial drainage schemes completed under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995, as amended. Approximately 12,000 km of river channel and some 800 km of embankments form part of an annual maintained programme by the OPW. This includes some channels of the Glyde and Dee arterial drainage scheme located near Donaghmoyne village. The OPW's maintenance team keeps these channels under review and schedules their maintenance, as required, to ensure they continue to provide the standard of protection provided by the original scheme.

Local flooding issues are a matter, in the first instance, for each local authority to investigate and address. All local authorities may carry out flood mitigation works, within their own capital works programme and using their own resources, or by applying for funding under the OPW minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme. The purpose of the scheme is to provide funding to local authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised flooding within their areas. The scheme generally applies where a solution can be readily identified and achieved in a short timeframe. Under the scheme, applications are considered for projects that are estimated to cost no more than €750,000 in each instance. Funding of up to 90% of the cost is available for approved projects. Applications are assessed by the OPW having regard to the specific economic, social and environmental criteria of the scheme, including the cost-benefit ratio. The scheme is demand led and funding from the OPW is always available to cover eligible applications submitted by the local authorities. To date, nationally and since 2009, the office of the Minister of State with the responsibility for the OPW has approved 946 projects under this scheme and funding of €63 million.

Since the inception of the minor works scheme in 2009, Monaghan County Council has received approximately €2.5 million in funding. This includes funding of €62,000 in 2017 for upsizing an existing bridge crossing at Mannan Golf Club at Donaghmoyne. This is a very significant and important scheme for managing localised flooding problems. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, and his office promote and encourage local authorities to avail of the funding under the scheme to address such localised flooding issues. While the OPW does not have an application on hand from Monaghan County Council in connection with flooding at Donaghmoyne village, the OPW is available to discuss flooding at the village with local authority personnel.

I want to conclude by assuring the Seanad that the Government, through the OPW, will continue to take a proactive approach to managing Ireland’s flood risk. This includes investment in major flood relief schemes and working with local authorities to adequately address more localised flooding risks.

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. As I outlined in my contribution, and as the Minister of State has accepted, flooding can be very traumatic for all involved. Unfortunately, the flooding problem in Donaghmoyne village has gone on for a long number of years. The local authority is investigating the pipe infrastructure in the general area but local engineers say that funding will be required to do a more substantial job in order to alleviate the problem. I understand from the Minister of State's contribution that funding comes from the OPW. Some council engineers were of the opinion that funding came from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications because it was a flooding issue. Perhaps the Minister of State might clarify the matter for me. I know that once an application is submitted, I will knock on the relevant Minister's door to seek funding for this much needed project.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Yes. The Senator can be assured that this reply was provided by the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, who has responsibility for the OPW and flood relief. So flood relief is under the remit of the OPW. As outlined, the OPW has a mechanism whereby local authorities can engage in terms of localised flooding issues so that should be their first port of call. I note from the initial response that there is not an application on hand with the OPW. I will convey the specific points that the Senator has raised about Donaghmoyne village to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, and his officials and make sure they are aware of the specifics that the Senator has outlined here. I would encourage Monaghan County Council to engage with the OPW.

I am aware that this part of south County Monaghan has a great tradition in ladies football and has enjoyed great success. That is how I am aware of Donaghmoyne. I have heard of it many times.We want to get this sorted for the people there. My initial response showed the broader outline of Government's support for large flood alleviation measures but these localised areas do take a specific response. Some of that has happened already with the bridge at Mannan Golf Club and some other measures but more work needs to be done. The trick is to get Monaghan County Council and the OPW together as quickly as possible.