Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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54. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on establishing a single authority to deal with all matters relating to the River Shannon including flood relief measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19750/16]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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The Government decided on 5 January 2016 to establish the Shannon Flood State Agency Co-ordination Working Group to enhance on-going co-operation across all of the State Agencies involved with the River Shannon.

The Group is comprised of the following membership and comes under the chairmanship of the Office of Public Works: Office of Public Works; Local Authorities, represented by the City and County Management Association; Waterways Ireland; Electricity Supply Board; Inland Fisheries Ireland; Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht; Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government; Bord na Móna; Environment Protection Agency; Irish Water.

The Attorney General’s Office and other Government Departments may also participate, as requested by the Chairman.

The Group has met on three occasions to date and has conducted an audit of the roles and responsibilities of State Agency organisations and has published its Shannon Flood Risk Work Programme for 2016. This Work Programme which is available on the OPW website sets out co-ordinated actions and activities for the Shannon catchment. The Group has engaged in a programme of public consultation and has held a series of open days on its work programme. It is also considering in co-operation with the Attorney General’s Office the development of appropriate guidance that will set out more clearly the rights and responsibilities of non-statutory bodies in relation to watercourses.

The Group is due to meet again on 12 July 2016 to, inter alia, consider the draft Shannon Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management Plan which will be published for public consultation shortly. The CFRAM is the core strategy for addressing flood risk in the Shannon Catchment. I intend to attend this meeting and to get an update from each of the state agencies on their actions and activities for the Shannon Catchment.

I am satisfied that the Shannon Flood State Agency Co-ordination Working Group is focussed on ensuring the best possible level of co-ordination between the statutory bodies on the River Shannon and that it will deliver the highest level of efficiencies to add value to the Shannon CFRAM programme.