Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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155. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the drainage-flood relief works that are under way by the Office of Public Works in County Monaghan in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48989/14]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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156. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the proposals the Office of Public Works have to carry out drainage-flood relief work in County Monaghan during 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48995/14]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 155 and 156 together.

The Office of Public Works has responsibility for approximately 11,500 km of arterial drainage channels nationally, with about 2,200 km of these being subject to routine maintenance each year across the country as part of an ongoing programme of arterial drainage maintenance of schemes completed under the Arterial Drainage Acts. This work is carried out to ensure that the State's investment in the Arterial Drainage schemes continues to provide the intended benefits. If maintenance is not carried out then the water conveyance capacity of most channels deteriorate over a period of years. Drainage maintenance works have been undertaken by the OPW East Region in Co Monaghan in 2014 and are programmed to take place in 2015 also.

It is a matter for Monaghan County Council in the first instance to identify and address more minor or localised flooding issues in the county. The Council can apply for funding to undertake works to address such problems under the OPW Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme. Any application received is assessed under the eligibility criteria, which include a requirement that any measures are cost beneficial, and having regard to the overall availability of funding. Any work for which funding is sought will be carried out by the Local Authority itself.It is also open to Monaghan County Council to carry out flood mitigation works using its own resources.

The OPW approved funding for minor works at Ballybay, Dunsinaire, Threemilehouse and Lisnagunnion and these projects were progressed by Monaghan County Council in 2014 and will continue in 2015.Applications have been submitted by Monaghan County Council for funding for minor works at Edengilrevy and at Lough Muchno, Castleblayney. The OPW will be replying to the Council on these shortly.

Three locations in Co Monaghan - Ballybay, Carrickmacross and Monaghan Town - were identified through the national Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment as locations where flood risk was potentially significant. They were therefore designated as Areas for Further Assessment under the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. The CFRAM Programme, which is focused on 300 areas of potentially significant risk, nationally, will produce detailed predictive flood mapping and identify appropriate flood risk management measures and plans. Draft predictive flood maps, for Ballybay, Carrickmacross and Monaghan Town are currently being produced by engineering consultants undertaking the North Western - Neagh Bann CFRAM Study, on behalf of the Office of Public Works, in partnership with Monaghan County Council. The flood maps will be subject to public consultation during the coming months, details of which will be advertised locally and on the Study website . The next phase in the CFRAM Study will be the identification of appropriate flood risk mitigation options, following which, Flood Risk Management Plans will be prepared in 2015.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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157. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the proposals the Office of Public Works have to carry out drainage-flood relief work in County Cavan during 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48996/14]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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158. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the drainage-flood relief works that are under way by the Office of Public Works in County Cavan in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48997/14]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 157 and 158 together.

The Office of Public Works has responsibility for approximately 11,500 km of arterial drainage channels nationally, with about 2,200 km of these being subject to routine maintenance each year across the country as part of an ongoing programme of arterial drainage maintenance of schemes completed under the Arterial Drainage Acts. This work is carried out to ensure that the State's investment in the Arterial Drainage schemes continues to provide the intended benefits. If maintenance is not carried out then the water conveyance capacity of most channels deteriorate over a period of years. Drainage maintenance works have been undertaken by the OPW East Region in Co. Cavan in 2014 and are programmed to take place in 2015 also.

It is a matter for Cavan County Council in the first instance to identify and address more minor or localised flooding issues in the county. It is open to the Council to apply for funding to undertake such works under the OPW Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme. Any application received will be assessed under the eligibility criteria, which include a requirement that any measures are cost beneficial, and having regard to the overall availability of funding. Any work for which funding is sought will be carried out by the Local Authority. It is also open to Cavan County Council to carry out flood mitigation works using its own resources. There were no minor works projects under way in 2014 for which OPW had approved or provided funding. There are currently no applications for funding in OPW from Cavan County Council under the Minor Works scheme.

Two locations in Co Cavan, Ballyconnell and Cavan Town, were identified through the national Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment as locations where flood risk was potentially significant. They were therefore designated as Areas for Further Assessment under the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. The CFRAM Programme, which is focused on 300 areas of potentially significant risk, nationally, will produce detailed predictive flood mapping and identify appropriate flood risk management measures and plans. Draft predictive flood maps, for Ballyconnell and Cavan Town, are currently being produced by engineering consultants undertaking the North Western Neagh-Bann CFRAM Study, on behalf of the Office of Public Works, in partnership with Cavan County Council. The flood maps will be subject to public consultation during the coming months, details of which will be advertised locally and on the Study website . The next phase in the CFRAM Study will be the identification of appropriate flood risk mitigation options, following which, Flood Risk Management Plans will be prepared in 2015.