Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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343. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the Office of Public Works' plans to provide adequate flood defences for the area of King's Island in Limerick city following the devastating flood damage of 1 February 2014. [9218/14]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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344. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the time the Office of Public Works estimates that flood defence plans at King's Island, Limerick, will take to steer through the planning process. [9219/14]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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345. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Office of Public Works will fast-track flood defence plans for King's Island in Limerick city, considering the fact that reports have already been completed for the area as part of the local regeneration plan. [9220/14]

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 343 to 345, inclusive, together.

Along with my colleague, the Minister for Finance, I visited the King's Island area of Limerick on 3rd February and witnessed at first hand the devastation suffered by the people of the area as a result of the flooding from the river Shannon.

I made it clear on that day that this Government will do everything possible to prevent a recurrence of this terrible event for the communities in the area. A decision was made immediately to install temporary flood defences along the banks of the river, with the work being done by the local authority and funded by the OPW. The Department of Social Protection also came to the immediate assistance of the people affected through its Humanitarian Assistance Scheme.

In relation to the longer term solution, at a meeting which the Minister for Finance and I attended that day with officials from Limerick City Council, various options for addressing the situation were considered. One option which was discussed was that the provision of permanent flood defences to protect the vulnerable areas of King's Island would be incorporated into the Regeneration Project for the area with technical advice and funding for the flood defence work to be provided by the OPW. This approach would ensure that the timescales for the flood defence plans and the Regeneration Project were fully integrated and would facilitate a properly coherent approach to the redevelopment and protection of the area.

Limerick City Council is the lead authority for the planning and advancement of the Regeneration Project for the St Mary's Park/Kings Island area and it would have more details on the current status of and timelines for the project.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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346. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a breakdown of money spent on major and minor flood defence work in tabular form for the past three years in County Louth and Meath East; the location of this work; his plans for future works in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9230/14]

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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A list of all expenditure from both Major Flood Relief Schemes and Minor Works funding in Counties Louth and Meath is set out below.

A full list of all approved applications for the Minor Works Scheme since 2009 is available on OPW's website, .

Two major Flood Relief Schemes have been carried out in County Meath in the last ten years on the River Tolka and on the Mornington River. Approximately €7 million was spent by the OPW on the River Tolka Scheme in County Meath which was part of an overall Scheme on the Tolka from Clonee to Fairview in Dublin City, and approximately €4 million was spent on the Mornington Scheme.

Louth County Council has submitted a study of the Bellurgan Embankment, Co Louth to the OPW. This is currently being assessed.

There are no further major scheme works currently being planned for Louth and Meath. The Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) programme is examining areas of significant flood risk in the main river catchments nationally including in the Eastern region. Under the CFRAM Programme flood maps for these significant risk areas will be completed by the end of 2014 and Flood Risk Management Plans will be produced by 2016. The studies will consider the best possible options, both structural and non-structural, for dealing with the risks on a long term basis and, when completed, will form the basis for decision making on capital investment by the Government on long term flood mitigation infrastructure into the future.

It is open to Louth and Meath County Councils to submit applications in the future to the OPW for funding of minor works under the Minor Works scheme.