Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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599. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of funds that will be allocated this year for the continuing programme of storm damage remediation and prevention work in 2015; the amount of this that relates to work sanctioned in 2014, but not completed; if he will provide details of these projects; when details of the projects to be approved in 2015 will be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6032/15]

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 estimated initially for the first phase of severe weather. For the 2nd phase of severe weather, from 27 January to 17 February 2014, local authorities estimated current costs of €3.5 million and €8.5 million in capital costs. Some additional works beyond the original €7.5 m initially estimated were identified under the current costs heading covering clean-up and necessary immediate repairs and by the end of 2014 €7.859 m was disbursed by my Department. A further €5.994 million has been paid by my Department 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.

Although local authorities were asked to give priority to works which are significant for economic activity and support for the tourism industry in particular, it is a matter for the local authorities to decide which projects are to be progressed and in which timescales. My Department does not have a role with regard to the sanctioning or ongoing monitoring of individual projects and local authorities recoup funding for these projects from my Department on the basis of the submission of certification that expenditure has been incurred within the overall expenditure ceilings allocated.

No funding has been drawn down from my Department by local authorities to date in 2015.