Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 97: To ask the Minister for Finance the amount that was spent by him on flood relief works in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and to date in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43854/09]

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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Since the Office of Public Works became the Lead Agency in relation to Flood Management in Ireland in 2004, following the publication of the Flood Policy Review Group Report, the following expenditure for flood relief activities has been incurred.

Expenditure for 2009 is currently at €24.5M with an anticipated outturn in the region of €38 M.

The figures include construction works, preparation of studies, and contributions to Local Authorities for major works being undertaken directly by them. Since January of this year, OPW has also assumed Lead Agency responsibility for Coastal Protection, so there will be extensive expenditure in this area in coming years in addition to the normal expenditure. Recently, a Minor Works Programme has been introduced which will involve OPW providing funding to Local Authorities who are implementing such minor works for flood prevention measures.

OPW will continue to implement the Government's flood policy and future expenditure will depend on the available financial resources. OPW has profiled in excess of €200 Million on its current projects up to 2014.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 98: To ask the Minister for Finance the steps that have been taken by him on the development of better flood management systems since the adoption of the report of the flood review group 2004. [43855/09]

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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The report of the review group, which was adopted by the Government in late 2004, recommended that flood risk management policy should address both existing and future risk and that there should be increased focus on non-structural measures to complement traditional reliance on works. Substantial progress has been made by the Office of Public Works, as lead agency for implementing the recommendations of the report, on improving flood management systems.

The OPW has commenced the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management Studies programme. The Lee CFRAMS is the primary pilot project for the National CFRAM programme, and amongst the stated objectives for it are to: Identify viable structural and non-structural measures and options for managing the flood risks for localised high-risk areas and within the catchment as a whole; and Prepare a strategic Catchment Flood Risk Management Plan (CFRMP) and associated Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) that sets out the measures and policies that should be pursued by the Local Authorities and the OPW to achieve the most cost effective and sustainable management of flood risk within the Lee catchment.

OPW has also begun pilot studies for the Rivers Dodder and Suir and the Fingal East Meath area. OPW will be commissioning Flood Risk Assessments and Management studies (CFRAMS) for all of the River Catchments. The end result of these studies will be a Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management Plan. The programme, which will be completed over the next 6 years, will develop for each catchment maps indicating the predicted extents of areas that would be affected by flood events of varying severity and will produce plans for dealing with the risk where it is feasible.

The OPW, in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, developed a Protocol on Flood Emergencies that supports the Framework for Major Emergency Management that has been put in place to facilitate co-ordination between front line agencies in responding to major flood events.

The OPW, again with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, has produced draft Guidelines on the Planning System and Flood Risk Management that will assist planning authorities to take cognisance of flood risk with a view to preventing unsustainable development through appropriate planning decisions. The Guidelines will be published shortly. To facilitate planning authorities in implementing the Guidelines, and to as an aid to the emergency services and the public, the OPW developed a dedicated website, www.floodmaps.ie, which provides data on areas that are prone to flooding. Another website developed by the OPW, http://www.flooding.ie/www.floodmaps.ie, provides practical advice to the public in relation to preparing for and coping with floods.

In order to provide engineers with the best methodologies and tools for assessing flows when designing developments, the OPW commissioned an important research programme, which will be completed shortly. As part of the implementation of major flood relief projects for Mallow, Fermoy and Clonmel, where demountable structures are an integral part of the scheme, the OPW has developed early warning systems to enable the Local Authorities to take the appropriate action to erect the defences. The OPW is also commissioning a project to establish the feasibility of implementing a national flood warning system and the resources that such a system would require.