Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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439. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason the Office of Public Works do not do maintenance on the Brown Flesk River (details supplied). [13789/14]

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Although the Brown Flesk River is situated in the River Maine catchment area, it was excluded on economic grounds from the Maine catchment drainage scheme carried out by the Office of Public Works between 1959 and 1963. The OPW’s responsibilities in the catchment area are now statutorily confined to the maintenance of the completed scheme works and do not include the maintenance of the Brown Flesk River.

It is open to the Local Authority to make an application for funding to undertake any necessary works under the OPW’s Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coast Protection Scheme. Any application received will be assessed under the Scheme's eligibility criteria, which includes a requirement that any measures are cost beneficial, and have regard to the overall availability of funding. Application forms and related guidelines are available on the OPW website under Flood Risk Management. It is also open to the Local Authority to carry out works using its own resources.