Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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742. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the amount each local authority requested to repair damage as a result of all storms, since Storm Desmond in December 2015; the amount he has granted to each authority; the amount each local authority has drawn down as of 11 March 2016 in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5425/16]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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My Department is making €18m additional funding available to local authorities to support them in meeting the costs associated with the flood response and clean-up activities arising from the severe storms that took place since December 2015. This funding is being provided to local authorities in acknowledgement of the exceptional nature of the work undertaken in protecting homes and property from flooding and in the post-flooding clean-up works.

To date, my Department has made payments to local authorities totalling €8m to assist them in meeting the costs of the response, clean-up and necessary immediate works related to the flooding; €6.35m of which was in respect of local authority costs incurred up to 19 December 2015 (see Table 1 below), with €1.65m relating to local authority costs incurred since 19 December 2015 (see Table 2 below). My Department is currently liaising with individual local authorities in relation to the recoupment of the remaining costs.

My Department is not involved in funding repair to public infrastructure damaged as a result of severe weather and flooding that lies outside its remit or funding of flood protection works. However, as part of the co-ordinated response in relation to the recent flooding, my Department wrote to the local authorities and asked them to provide estimates of the cost of damage to public infrastructure. The damage reported was principally to the roads network and details were passed to the relevant Government Departments for follow up action with local authorities, as appropriate. I am advised that the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is making funding available to address the damage to transport infrastructure arising from recent storms and flooding and is liaising directly with local authorities in this regard

Table 1

DECLG – Amount claimed and payments to Local Authoritiesfor costs incurred up to 19 December 2015

Table 2

DECLG– Amount claimed and payments to Local Authorities for costs incurred after 19 December2015