Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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247. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Further to Parliamentary Question No. 209 of 21 October 2014, if he will provide the details of works that have been carried out by the Office of Public Works around the flood risk area of the Tolka River in Dublin Central; if he will provide an update on the discussions between his Department, the OPW and the Insurance Federation of Ireland with regard to the problems residents are still having with insurance companies in flood risk areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4706/15]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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A flood relief scheme which included works in the local authority areas of Dublin City, Fingal and Meath County Councils was carried out on the River Tolka over the period 2003 to 2012. Works in the City area were completed by 2009 with approximately €7.5m expended in the City area out of a total of €19.3m. In general, the works were carried out directly by the Office of Public Works (OPW) with some aspects being undertaken by external contractors who were employed by the relevant Local Authority who acted as the Contracting Authorities in their area.

The works undertaken were as a result of the recommendations of the River Tolka Study completed in 2003. The recommendations were made in order to provide the standard 1 in 100 year level of protection for properties against extreme flood events which applies to the OPW flood relief schemes, i.e. a flood with a 1% probability of occurring in any given year.

The works carried out in the City area included:

- Replacement of Woodville Road footbridge,

- Replacement of Distillery Road Bridge,

- Construction of walls

- Construction of embankments

- Widening of River channel

- General River cleaning

- Lowering of Weirs

- Construction of Fish passes

- Capping of walls

- Construction of pumping station

The OPW is satisfied that the works carried out fulfil the intention of providing the standard flood protection to all properties in the City area highlighted in the Study.

In March 2014, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Insurance Ireland, the representative body for the insurance industry in Ireland, and the Office of Public Works. This Memorandum sets out principles of how the two organisations will work together to ensure that appropriate and relevant information on completed OPW flood defence schemes is provided to insurers to facilitate, to the greatest extent possible, the availability to the public of insurance against the risk of flooding. The Memorandum came into effect on 1 June, 2014 with an initial tranche of data provided by the OPW to Insurance Ireland in respect of 12 completed flood defence schemes (including the Tolka scheme in Dublin city) and showing the design, extent and nature of the protection offered by these works. Since then, data on a further four completed flood relief schemes has been communicated to Insurance Ireland in the agreed format and data on further completed schemes will be provided in due course. The arrangements set out in the Memorandum represent an ongoing process which, over time, should lead to an improvement in the availability of flood insurance cover. The text of the Memorandum of Understanding and further information on the process is available on the OPW website at .

Since the signing of the Memorandum, contact has continued between OPW and Insurance Ireland. The implementation of the Memorandum has been discussed at a number of meetings at both official and Ministerial level involving Insurance Ireland, the Office of Public Works and the Department of Finance.

Early indications are that flood risk insurance is widely available in areas where flood relief schemes have been completed by the OPW. A definitive breakdown on the provision of flood risk insurance will not be available until after June of this year, when a full renewal cycle has been completed following the coming into effect of the Memorandum.

The OPW and the Department of Finance will continue contact, including meetings, with Insurance Ireland to review the operation of the Memorandum of Understanding.