Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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274. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in view of significant flooding in the constituency of Dublin Central and in view of the suggestions made from the pilot Dublin flood forum to prevent such flooding, if he will allocate funding to enable persons whose homes are prone to flooding to avail of a grant for greater home protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39433/13]

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the very good work being done by the Dublin City Council pilot Flood Forums. I believe that this type of community engagement is an effective approach to dealing with the risk of flooding particularly where the risk is primarily related to pluvial or rainfall events and surface water problems due to inadequate drainage as is the case in certain parts of Dublin city. In these situations capital investment by the local authority to improve the drainage infrastructure often does not provide an economically viable solution and an effective approach is for affected communities to increase their resilience to flood risk through greater awareness and preparedness. Individual property protection measures can have a role to play in this approach.

The Office of Public Works is provided with an allocation by the Government to fund major and minor flood relief capital works. These works involve the construction of flood defences such as walls, embankments and other mitigating measures along flood prone rivers to offer protection to properties at risk from fluvial or river flooding. The OPW capital works programme does not deal with flooding caused by surface water drainage problems which is a matter for the Local Authorities in the first instance. Nor is the programme involved in the installation of flood protection measures at individual property level and there is no funding provision for such within the Vote of the OPW.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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275. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if any effort has been made to assist homeowners in Clonmel, County Tipperary, who have been unable to access house insurance due to a history of flooding, to obtain house insurance now in view of the fact flood relief works have been completed and are operating successfully in Clonmel; if he has had any communication with insurance providers regarding same; if some assistance will be offered to those families trying to obtain house insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39619/13]

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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A Working Group comprising of representatives of the insurance industry and the Office of Public Works was established earlier this year to oversee the exchange of information regarding completed OPW flood relief schemes which the insurance industry can take into account in assessing flood risk cover in locations where such works have been carried out.

Agreement on the technical format of that information has been reached and OPW has supplied a suite of information to the representative body of the insurance industry, Insurance Ireland. This included details on the design standard and extent of benefiting properties and lands in Clonmel. The insurance companies are in the process of integrating this information into their data systems to enable them to incorporate it into their assessment procedures.

The provision of house insurance and the nature and cost of the cover provided remains a commercial matter between each householder and the companies operating in the insurance market in Ireland.