Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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23. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position regarding flood relief works on the River Suck catchment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5605/15]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The River Suck, which is the main tributary of the River Shannon, forms part of the River Suck Joint Drainage District. Responsibility for maintenance of the channel rests jointly with Galway County Council and Roscommon County Council. The Councils have heretofore discharged their responsibility through the River Suck Joint Drainage District Committee. The most recent formal report submitted by the Committee to the Office of Public Works (OPW) shows that it expended almost €142,000 in 2011. This expenditure comprised routine maintenance works including the cleaning of drains and river bed, cutting back trees or other obstructions, weed control and, where possible, improving water flow. The OPW has been advised that the Committee has since expended €136,000 in 2012, €149,310 in 2013 and €150,891 in 2014 on further maintenance works. I am advised that the R. Suck Joint Drainage Committee was disbanded with effect from 1^stJanuary, 2015 on foot of Ministerial Order. However, as I have indicated, the ongoing maintenance of the channel and the funding of that work remains the joint responsibility of Roscommon County Council and Galway County Council.

Substantial funding has been provided by the Office of Public Works under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme to enable Galway and Roscommon County Councils to undertake flood alleviation projects within the River Suck catchment to address localised flood problems. Since the introduction of the Scheme in 2009, nearly €2.1m has been approved to Galway County Council and over €550,000 to Roscommon County Council for this purpose. Details of all the projects for which funding has been approved to local authorities under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme are available on the OPW website www.opw.ie.

With regard to the overall position in relation to flood relief works in the River Suck area as part of the larger River Shannon catchment, the OPW's core strategy for addressing flood risk in the Shannon Basin is the River Shannon Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Study. The output of this important project will be an integrated plan of specific measures to address, in a comprehensive and sustainable way, the significant flood risk factors in the Shannon basin. Draft predictive flood maps are currently being produced by engineering consultants undertaking the Shannon CFRAM Study, on behalf of the OPW, in partnership with the relevant local authorities. The draft flood maps will be subject to public consultation during this year, details of which will be advertised locally and on the Study website.

The next phase in the CFRAM Study will then be the identification of appropriate flood risk management options for each significant risk area, following which, Flood Risk Management Plans are scheduled to be prepared in late 2015/early 2016. Updates on the study are available on the Study website.