Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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89. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide the number of coastal protection and coastal repair works carried out in each county every year from 1 January 2012; the cost of each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15005/15]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The identification and carrying out of necessary coastal protection works is a matter for each Local Authority. Local Authorities may carry out such works using their own resources. They may also apply to the Office of Public Works (OPW) for funding under the latter's Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. The Scheme's eligibility criteria, including a requirement that any measures are cost beneficial, are published on the OPW website, www.opw.ie. It is not available for repair of damaged infrastructure or for maintenance of existing flood defence or coastal protection assets. A Local Authority may apply to the OPW for support under the scheme having regard to those eligibility criteria. Application forms are available on the OPW's website under Flood Risk Management and decisions are made having regard to the overall availability of funding for flood risk management.

Details on funding approved by the OPW for coastal protection works for each county from 2009 to the present is available on the OPW website under Flood Risk Management/Minor Works Scheme/Annual Lists of Minor Works Projects for which Funding has been Approved.

In relation to repairs to coastal protection infrastructure, significant funding was provided by the OPW to Local Authorities in 2014 in the context of the Government Decision of 11 February 2014 which allocated total funding of up to €19.6m for the repair of existing public coastal protection and flood defence infrastructure damaged in the severe weather in late 2013 and early 2014. The allocation of funding was based on submissions made by the relevant local authorities to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Details on the funding allocations by county and the actual drawdown of funding are also available on the OPW website on the Home Page under Latest News – Monthly Update: Drawdown of Funds Local Authorities Storm Damage Repairs.

The OPW does not have information on coastal protection or repair works that would have been carried out by the Local Authorities funded from their own or other (non-OPW) resources.

Information in relation to works on piers, harbours etc is a matter for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.