Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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260. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the funding allocations approved for each local authority in 2014 and the amount paid to each of these local authorities in 2014; the funding allocated to these local authorities in 2015; the amounts paid to the local authorities to date in 2015 following the Government decision of 11 February 2014 to allocate funding for the clean-up, repair and restoration works in relation to public infrastructure that was damaged in the period 13 December 2013 to 6 January 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5244/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Government decided on 11 February 2014 to allocate funding of up to €69.5 million to local authorities in the areas worst affected by the first phase of severe weather in respect of the damage caused between 13 December 2013 and 6 January 2014. This was intended to support communities by restoring roads, coastal protection, amenities/ facilities and other public infrastructure which had been damaged. It was agreed that the funding would be made available via the Votes of the appropriate Departments, viz Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport; Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine; the Office of Public Works and my own Department. While my Department had an initial role in collating details and costs of damage in the immediate aftermath of the severe weather, based on returns and estimates provided by local authorities, the other Departments and Offices listed above liaise directly with the local authorities on funding which falls under their remit.

In the case of funding requirements which fall under the remit of my Department, viz, tourism infrastructure funded by the local authorities, certain piers, harbours and other facilities in the charge of the local authorities, current costs totalling €4 million and capital costs totalling €13.1 million were originally estimated for the period in question. For the 2^ndphase of severe weather, from 27 January to 17 February 2014, local authorities originally estimated current costs of €3.5 million and €8.5 million in capital costs. By year end €7.859 million was in fact disbursed by my Department to local authorities in respect of current costs and €5.994 million in respect of capital costs in 2014. Provision has been made in my Department’s Vote for a further €10 million in respect of capital costs to be incurred by local authorities in 2015 on repair and remediation projects. No funding has been drawn down from my Department by the local authorities to date in 2015. The 2015 funding position will be kept under review over the course of the year.

Full details of the allocations and drawdowns by local authority are contained in the table.