Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 12: To ask the Minister for Finance the steps which he is taking to address the lack of maintenance of the Shannon waterway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44909/09]

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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Maintenance of Shannon Waterway is not the responsibility of the Office of Public Works (OPW). OPW operates a maintenance programme on all schemes where it has undertaken works. Effective maintenance of river courses and channels can contribute to the moderation of the impact of flood events. However, expert engineering opinion is that maintenance of channels alone is not sufficient to protect against flood events of the extent and magnitude of those witnessed in the past few weeks. The River Shannon is at its highest level since the Office of Public Works began continuous recording of water levels in the late 1940s. The current flow in the Shannon is in excess of the 100 year flood event, which is the standard level of protection afforded by modern flood defences.

To facilitate planning for the management of future flood risk, OPW has embarked on a programme of Catchment Flood Risk Assessments. These studies, which are required by the National Flood Policy and the EU Floods Directive are designed to identify the areas at risk from flood events for a range of severities and to produce a prioritised plan of measures for dealing with areas where the risk is significant. The Shannon study is expected to be commissioned in mid-2010.

Pending completion of the Study for the Shannon Catchment, OPW through the minor works scheme will work with the relevant Local Authorities to identify areas that may benefit from interim localised mitigation measures.