Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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104. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans in relation to coastal protection; if he is in receipt of applications from Mayo County Council to assist with coastal protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32513/15]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The primary objective of Government policy on coastal protection is to ensure that in areas identified as being at greatest risk of damage or loss to economic assets through coastal erosion or flooding, appropriate and sustainable measures are identified by Local Authorities to protect those assets and, where such measures are economically justified on cost benefit grounds and compatible with all required environmental and other statutory requirements, they are implemented subject to the availability of resources.

The Irish Coastal Protection Strategy Study (ICPSS) has surveyed and assessed the coastal erosion risk along the entire national coastline and this information is available to all Local Authorities to enable them to develop appropriate plans and strategies for the sustainable management of the coastline in their counties including the identification, prioritisation and, subject to the availability of resources, the implementation of coastal protection works both of a structural and non-structural nature.

Following the winter storms of December 2013 and January 2014 the Government allocated funding for coastal storm damage repair to all affected coastal counties. Funding of €4.205 million was allocated to Mayo County Council via the Office of Public Works as a once-off measure to reinstate built public coastal defence infrastructure to its pre-storm condition. The Council submitted a programme of works to OPW of prioritised projects related to this allocation. It is a matter for the Council to progress the works. To date, the Council has drawn down €2.590 million of the funding allocation.

The Office of Public Works operates a Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. This administrative 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. It is open to the Council to submit a funding application under the Scheme. Any application received will be considered in accordance with the scheme eligibility criteria and having regard to the overall availability of resources for flood risk management.