Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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105. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Office of Public Works has ensured that the ongoing flood risk to persons in Tromatty and Quigley's Point, Inishowen, County Donegal (details supplied) has been assessed; and the solutions, including the construction of flood defences, the OPW is planning to protect persons from future flooding. [6127/18]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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106. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Office of Public Works has ensured that the ongoing flood risk to persons in Clonmany, County Donegal (details supplied) has been assessed; and the solutions, including the construction of flood defences, the OPW is planning to protect persons from future flooding. [6128/18]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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107. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Office of Public Works has ensured that the ongoing flood risk to persons and local businesses in Carndonagh, County Donegal (details supplied) has been assessed; and the solutions, including the construction of flood defences, the OPW is planning to protect persons from future flooding. [6129/18]

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 to 107, inclusive, together.

On Tuesday 22 August 2017 an extreme pluvial rainfall event occurred in Donegal. Having visited the area the following day I saw at first hand the extensive damage and disruption caused by this flood event, particularly to the community in the Inishowen Peninsula area.

Local flooding issues are a matter, in the first instance, for each Local Authority to investigate and address. Donegal County Council may carry out flood mitigation works using its own resources. The Council may also apply to the Office of Public Works for funding of flood mitigation works under this Office's Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. The purpose of this scheme, introduced in 2009, is to provide funding to Local Authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative areas. The OPW has approved 32 Minor Works schemes in Donegal at a cost of €1.2m. Details of these schemes are on the OPW website, www.opw.ie

A national study to assess and propose measures to manage Ireland’s flood risk is being undertaken by the Office of Public Works (OPW) through its Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. The CFRAM Programme is focussing on 300 Areas for Further Assessment (AFAs) including 90 coastal areas, mainly in urban locations nationwide, designated in 2012 as being at potentially significant risk of flooding. The flood risk for each of these areas has been assessed, through detailed engineering techniques to assess their risk and impact from flooding. This risk and the proposed feasible measures, both structural and non-structural, identified to manage that risk are outlined in the Flood Risk Management Plans.

Carndonagh and Clonmany are two communities that have been studied as part of the North Western – Neagh Bann CFRAM Programme.

In relation to Carndonagh, the Plans propose measures consisting of using storage areas along with a series of embankments and walls along the Donagh River . Improved channel conveyance would protect properties impacted by flooding from the Carndonagh watercourse and hard defences would protect properties impacted by flooding from the Glennagannon River.

As the flood risk in Clonmany was assessed as relatively low no structural flood relief schemes are proposed, at this time. The Plans set out those non-structural measures in place or proposed that can benefit all at risk communities and properties, including emergency response, national flood forecasting, individual property protection and community resilience.

The Plans are currently subject to an independent review of the strategic level environmental assessments by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Once this independent review of all Plans is completed and observations addressed, I would hope in the coming weeks to seek the approval from the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform for the Flood Risk Management Plans.