Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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141. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to address coastal erosion in Portrane; the steps his Department has taken in conjunction with Fingal County Council following the completion of their risk management study in 2014. [39165/16]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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The management of problems of coastal protection in the area indicated is a matter for Fingal County Council in the first instance. The Council must assess the problem and, if it is considered that specific measures and works are required, it is open to them to apply for funding under the Office of Public Works' (OPW) Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme. Any application received will be assessed under the eligibility criteria, which include a requirement that any measures are cost beneficial, and having regard to the overall availability of funding.

Fingal County Council applied for and was approved funding of €57,800 under this scheme in 2012 to carry out a Coastal Erosion Risk Management Study of Portrane to Rush. The funding was drawn down in 2013 following completion of the study.

Following the severe storms of Winter 2013/2014 and on foot of submissions made by the local authority, total funding of €200,000 was provided by the OPW to Fingal County Council under the Government decision S180/20/10/1272 of 11th February 2014 to allocate funding for the repair of damaged coastal protection infrastructure. Part of this funding was for a dunes repair project at Burrow beach, Portrane. This project was not proceeded with by Fingal County Council at the time and the Council indicated that this would form part of a separate application under the Minor Works scheme.

I have been advised that the OPW is not in receipt of any applications currently under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme for Portrane.