Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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227. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount of funding allocated to improving flood defences in each of the past five years. [36685/19]

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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Capital investment/expenditure by the Office of Public Works (OPW) on flood risk management measures, primarily on flood defence schemes, amounted to €254million in total between 2014 and 2018. This is broken down as follows:

Nine major flood relief schemes were completed or substantially completed during this period bringing flood protection to over 2,500 properties. This is in addition to the 35 major flood relief schemes that were completed up to end 2013 protecting some 7,000 properties. Seven major schemes commenced construction in the 2014 - 2018 period and will be completed over the next couple of years. In addition, many other schemes have been advanced though the design process and will commence construction in the next year or so, subject to approval under the appropriate planning processes.

The above capital expenditure figures include expenditure under the OPW's Minor Flood Mitigation and Coastal Protection Works Scheme during the period in question, where funding is provided to Local Authorities to carry out minor works up to a limit of €0.75m for individual projects. 203 projects were completed under the Minor Works Scheme over the five year period bringing flood protection to over 2,000 properties.

In addition to the above capital spending in this period, over €78 million of current expenditure was incurred on the OPW's arterial drainage maintenance programme under which programmed maintenance is carried out of completed arterial drainage schemes throughout the country and their associated flood defence structures.