Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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17. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps he is taking to ensure that home owners can access insurance following the completion of catchment flood risk assessment and management schemes and flood relief works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40405/15]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Neither my Department nor the Office of Public Works (OPW) have any function in relation to the oversight or regulation of insurance matters. The provision of insurance cover, the level of premiums charged and the policy terms applied are matters for individual insurers. Insurance companies make commercial decisions on the provision of insurance cover based on their assessment of the risks they would be accepting on a case-by-case basis.

The OPW is the lead State body for the management of flood risk in Ireland. Over the past 20 years, it has invested over €410 million on flood protection measures in major urban areas together with investment in many minor works projects to address more localised flooding problems. The Government's Capital Investment Plan 2016–2021, includes a €430 million investment in flood defence measures to build on the work already done.

With such State investment in flood protection, it is right to expect that insurance cover will be available. In March 2014, the OPW and Insurance Ireland signed a Memorandum of Understanding intended to facilitate, as far as possible, the availability of insurance against flood risk. The OPW is committed to providing Insurance Ireland with detailed data on completed OPW flood defence schemes. Insurance companies will then take this data into account when assessing exposure to flood risk within these areas.

The Deputy has referred to the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management Programme. Under this Programme, the OPW is producing detailed flood maps for 300 communities at potentially significant risk from flooding. Following an extensive series of public consultation days, a statutory public consultation on these maps will commence tomorrow and run until 23 December 2015. These maps are draft and I have ensured that the insurance sector has been informed that they cannot be relied upon to inform insurance premiums, policies or excesses. When finalised, these maps will inform the development of Flood Risk Management Plans, due by the end of 2016, on how best to address the flood risk in each of these areas. These plans will inform decisions on future investment on flood risk management.

Policy in relation to flood insurance is amongst the policy areas being considered by an Interdepartmental Committee that is developing for Government, by early Spring 2016, the whole-of-government policies and measures to support the OPW Flood Risk Management Plans, to help individuals and communities prepare, plan and protect their properties and communities against flooding.