Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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16. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the specific measures that will be undertaken by the Office of Public Works in 2017 to alleviate flooding caused by the River Erne in County Cavan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3270/17]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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The core strategy for addressing areas at potentially significant risk from flooding, is the Office of Public Work’s Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. 300 locations nationwide are being assessed under the Programme, which is being undertaken by engineering consultants on behalf of the OPW working in partnership with the local authorities.

The Erne Catchment is being assessed under the Office of Public Work’s in close co-operation with Northern Ireland’s River Agency. This co-operation is part of our respective implementation of the EU Floods Directive and therefore the Erne Catchment in both Ireland and Northern Ireland has been fully assessed as part of the CFRAM Study.

In relation to the Erne Catchment system in County Cavan; CFRAM’s Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA) study, carried out in 2011, identified Cavan Town and Ballyconnell as Areas of Further Assessment (AFA) and are being assessed as part of the North Western-Neagh Bann CFRAM Study. In the AFA of Cavan Town there are structural options proposed in the draft Flood Risk Management Plan. In the AFA of Ballyconnell, the detailed CFRAM analysis has determined that there is currently a very low level of flood risk from rivers and/or the sea in this area.

Those parts of the Erne Catchment which affect these AFAs have been modelled, mapped and assessed for options to manage flood risk. Public consultation events were held in Spring 2015 on the draft flood maps, in Spring 2016 on the preliminary options and Autumn 2016 on the draft plans.

Following this public consultation process, the draft plans are being finalised taking on board the comments received. The finalised plans will include a prioritised list of measures, both structural and non-structural, that can address flood risk in an environmentally sustainable and cost effective manner. Among the feasible measures that may form part of a flood defence scheme, as part of the implementation of the FRMPs will be; structural defences built through the OPW’s Arterial Drainage (Amendment) Act, 1995; Local Authorities own powers; and/or the Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme.

The OPW is on track to finalise the Flood Risk Management Plans, in Spring 2017, for approval by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.