Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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194. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of properties in zones defended by the OPW that have full flood insurance coverage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6524/19]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will acknowledge that the Office of Public Works has no responsibility for oversight or regulation of the insurance industry in relation to flood risk insurance, or to insurance matters generally. The Government’s strategy is that in return to its investment on flood defence schemes in the most at risk communities, households and businesses should be able to access flood insurance.

The Office of Public Works has a very specific role in the exchange of information with the insurance industry in relation to completed flood defence schemes, to an agreed standard of protection desired by the industry.

A Memorandum of Understanding agreed on 24 March 2014, between the Office of Public Works and Insurance Ireland, the representative body for the insurance companies in Ireland has a specific focus on agreeing a basis on which information can be provided to the insurance industry on flood relief schemes completed by the OPW.

The Memorandum came into effect on 1 June, 2014 with an initial tranche of data provided by the Office of Public Works to Insurance Ireland in respect of twelve completed flood defence schemes; showing the design, extent and nature of the protections offered by these works. Details of a further five schemes were provided in January 2015 and details of the Waterford Flood Defence Scheme was provided in 2017.

Since that time the level of flood insurance cover for homes and small businesses for areas protected by OPW flood defence schemes has on average increased from 77% to 82% with the level of flood insurance cover reported to be up to 90% in areas benefitting from fixed defences.

The Department of Finance and the OPW meet with Insurance Ireland to address issues in relation to this transfer of data. The OPW and the Department of Finance are currently working with the insurance sector to baseline flood cover ahead of schemes being completed. This aims to provide a ‘before’ and ‘after’ of flood insurance cover for communities being protected in the future; and give a baseline to be able to address any concerns about the levels of cover being reported. In 2018, data relating to four schemes has been provided to Insurance Ireland, as the first set of data to pilot a comparative analysis of the levels of flood cover before and after schemes have been completed.

It is important to note that while the Memorandum requires that insurers take full account of information provided by the OPW on completed flood defence schemes, it does not guarantee the availability of flood risk cover in the locations for which information has been provided by the OPW. The provision of insurance cover, the level of premiums charged and the policy terms applied are a matter for individual insurers.