Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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63. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if towns located within the Finn Valley region in County Donegal, including Ballybofey, Castlefinn, Killygordon, Lifford, Liscooley and Stranorlar, are being assessed under the catchment flood risk assessment and management programme being developed by the Office of Public Works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43191/15]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Twenty six Areas for Further Assessment (AFAs) are being assessed in County Donegal under the Office of Public Works' (OPW) Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. These were deemed to be areas of potentially significant flood risk under the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA) which was completed in 2011. The Donegal AFAs are being assessed under the North Western – Neagh Bann (NW-NB) CFRAM study. Work on this study is progressing well. Further information is available on the study website:

The following is the list of AFAs in Donegal:

The CFRAM Programme, which is being undertaken by engineering consultants on behalf of the OPW working in partnership with the local authorities, involves the production of predictive flood maps for each location. A national public consultation on the draft flood maps is ongoing and will run until 23 December 2015. Details are available on the consultation website:

The Programme also involves the development of preliminary flood risk management options and flood risk management plans. The plans, which are scheduled for completion by the end of 2016, will include a prioritised list of measures, both structural and non-structural, to address flood risk in an environmentally sustainable and cost effective manner.