Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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97. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide an update on the transfer of information between the insurance industry and Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management; the timeframe on the future implementation of information exchanges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24366/15]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Memorandum of Understanding between the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Insurance Ireland, which was signed on 24th March 2014, outlines the principles of agreement between the parties on the provision of information to insurers to facilitate, to the greatest extent possible, the availability to the public of insurance against the risk of flooding. The OPW is committed to providing Insurance Ireland with data on all completed OPW flood defence schemes showing the design, extent and nature of the protections offered by these works. Insurance Ireland members will then take into account all information provided by the OPW when assessing exposure to flood risk within these areas.

Since June 2014, the OPW has provided Insurance Ireland with data on the following sixteen completed OPW flood defence schemes.

River Suir, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary

River Dodder Tidal, Dublin City

River Tolka, Dublin City

River Tolka, Dublin Fingal

River Tolka, Meath

River Nanny, Duleek, Co. Meath

River Bandon, Dunmanway, Co, Cork

River Fergus Upper, Ennis, Co. Clare

River Blackwater, Fermoy, Co. Cork

River Nore, Kilkenny City

River Mornington, Mornington, Co. Meath

River Tullamore, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

Munster Blackwater, Mallow South and West, Co. Cork

Hazelhatch, Celbridge, Co. Kildare

Derrymullen, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway

River Barrow, Carlow Town, Co. Carlow

The details of the information provided to the Insurance Sector is available on the OPW website, .

While early indications from the insurance sector are that flood risk insurance is widely available in areas where flood relief schemes have been completed by the OPW, the Department of Finance and the OPW have recently set out the range of detailed information that they require from the insurance industry to measure the benefit to the availability of affordable flood insurance to households and businesses from these completed flood defence schemes.

Under the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme detailed flood maps for 300 communities at potentially significant risk from flooding are being produced by the OPW. Their development involves public consultation and when finalised these maps will inform the Flood Risk Management Plans on how best to address the flood risk in each of these areas. It is envisaged that these plans will be completed in the second half of 2016 and the details of those planned schemes will be provided to the insurance industry in line with the Memorandum of Understanding.

I recently asked the Oireachtas All Party Finance Committee to give consideration to Flood Insurance and possible policy options that they would like considered. I await the submission of their report which I will ask the Department of Finance to examine. Officials from the Department of Finance and the Office of Public Works have received the report from the All Party Committee and are considering its recommendations.