Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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130. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his proposals to allocate funding to Cavan County Council for 2016 to carry out essential drainage work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1705/16]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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131. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his proposals to allocate funding to Monaghan County Council for 2016 to carry out essential drainage work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1706/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 130 and 131 together.

It is a matter for Cavan and Monaghan County Councils in the first instance to identify and address minor or localised flooding issues in their counties. It is open to the Councils to undertake any local flood mitigation works using their own resources or to submit an application for funding if necessary under the Office of Public Works (OPW) Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme. Any application received will be assessed under the scheme's eligibility criteria which includes a requirement that any measures are cost beneficial, and having regard to the overall availability of funding. The OPW only funds works related to fluvial or river flooding. Any necessary works to address flooding caused by pluvial or inadequate surface water drainage systems are the responsibility of the local authority. The local authority is responsible also for the ongoing maintenance of certain watercourses within Drainage Districts in the county.

The OPW carries out its own programme of Arterial Drainage Maintenance to a total of 11,500km of river channel and approximately 730km of embankments nationally. These maintenance works relate to arterial drainage schemes completed by the OPW under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995, whose purpose was primarily to improve the drainage of agricultural lands. The OPW has a statutory duty to maintain the completed schemes in proper repair and in an effective condition. The annual maintenance programme typically involves some clearance of vegetation and removal of silt build-up on an average five-yearly cycle.

The planned OPW maintenance programme in Co. Cavan in 2016 includes work on some 18km on the Inny scheme, approximately 7km on the Boyne scheme and 3km Glyde and Dee scheme.

The planned OPW maintenance programme in Co. Monaghan in 2016 includes work on approximately 65km of the Monaghan Blackwater Arterial Drainage Scheme and some 35km of the Glyde and Dee scheme.