Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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281. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason for the delay on the Dunkellin River project; if the full scale works are going ahead; the details; when work will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1433/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Funded by the Office of Public Works, Galway County Council (GCC) is the Contracting Authority with overall responsibility for the management and implementation of the Dunkellin River and Aggard Stream Flood Relief Scheme.

GCC appointed the Engineering and Environmental Consultants needed to complete the design and to attain the necessary statutory permissions for the scheme which is being progressed through An Bord Pleanala (ABP) under the Strategic Infrastructure Act.

Works proposed under the Dunkellin River and Aggard Stream Flood Relief Scheme can be divided into two distinct Channels which are:

- The Dunkellin/Craughwell River from upstream of Craughwell Village to the N18 at Kilcolgan

- The Aggard Stream and Monksfield River from Cregaclare (near Ardrahan) to its outfall at the confluence of the Dunkellin and Craughwell Rivers.

Works on the Dunkellin River will consist of channel deepening from Craughwell Village to the confluence with the Aggard Stream, local channel widening at Rinn Bridge and out of channel maintenance from downstream of Rahasane Turlough, to Rinn Bridge.

The scheme was submitted to An Bord Pleanála for consideration in November 2014 for planning approval in line with Section 175 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. A number of submissions from interested parties were received by An Bord Pleanala in relation to the proposals and the Board issued a request for further information (RFI) to GCC on 2 March 2015.

I am advised that the Council requested an extension of time in which to respond to the Board's request and the period for response was extended to 10 July 2015. In light of the significant additional data submitted by the Council, An Bord Pleanala requested that both the Statutory Authorities who were advised of the Planning Application and the general public be made aware of the additional information and that further submissions or observations could be made to the Board within a specific time frame. An Oral Hearing on the proposed scheme commenced on Tuesday 27 October 2015. The hearing concluded on Tuesday the 3 November 2015 and An Bord Pleanala has advised GCC that they will make a determination on the case by the end of February 2016.

We must wait for An Bord Pleanala to issue its determination on the proposals but, subject to this, I can assure the Deputy that the Government remains committed to the provision of a flood relief scheme for the Dunkellin River and Aggard Stream and the OPW has made provision for the cost of implementing the scheme in its Multi-Annual Budget Profiles into the future.