Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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105. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the issue raised in communication received recently (details supplied) in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4723/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for maintenance of the channel referred to by the Deputy as part of the Glyde and Dee Arterial Drainage Scheme, which was designed to provide outfall for agricultural drainage. The event of 2014 was an extreme one and exceeded the design capacity of this channel.

The OPW recently approved funding for a study of the White River in Dunleer, from an application received from Louth County Council under this Office’s Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. I understand that Louth County Council has recently appointed a consultant to carry out this study. The impact of any obstructions on the flood risk will be determined by the study and appropriate remedial action identified.

Each year the OPW carries out work to approximately 2,000km of channels and about 200 structures around the country, as part of its ongoing and rolling arterial drainage maintenance programme. The OPW did carry out tree pruning on the White River in Dunleer through the town during 2015.