Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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323. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when works will be sanctioned to commence on the Glanmire Glashaboy flood relief scheme. [21902/20]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Office of Public Works, under the provisions of the Arterial Drainage Acts, submitted the proposal for the Glashaboy Flood Relief Scheme, accompanied by an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and Natura Impact Statement (NIS), to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for formal Confirmation.

On foot of the European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Arterial Drainage) Regulations 2019, which were published in Iris Oifigiúl on 27 September 2019, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has undertaken an environmental assessment of the proposed scheme in line with required legislative requirements. This involved an independent assessment of the EIAR / NIS and a public consultation process.

On the 5 May 2020, the Office of Public Works received correspondence from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform that the independent assessment is now complete. This correspondence has requested, pursuant to section 7(B) sub-section 4 of the 2019 European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Arterial Drainage) Regulations, certain items of further information that are required to complete the process. My Office is currently preparing the additional information requested - which generally relates to further detail on the processes followed and assessments undertaken in developing the scheme - to be submitted to the Department in order that the assessment can be completed and the scheme confirmed by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. This information is currently scheduled to be provided to the Department no later than October 2020.

The procurement and appointment of a Contractor will be progressed for this scheme following formal Ministerial Confirmation. The flood relief scheme will be funded from within the allocated €1 billion for flood risk management over the period 2018-2027. Provision for the cost of the Scheme is included in the Office of Public Works' multi annual capital allocation.

OPW is committed to funding this project and attends monthly steering meetings to offer every assistance to Cork City Council to ensure a contractor is engaged, and the works commence, as soon as possible.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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324. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of progress on the proposed flood relief scheme for Crossmolina, County Mayo; and the proposed timeline for completion of the project as of that date. [22233/20]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Crossmolina Flood Relief Scheme project team are currently finalising the suite of documents (including Environmental Impact Assessment Report and Natura Impact Statement) for submission to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) for confirmation under the Arterial Drainage Acts (as amended). The programme indicates submission to DPER for Q3 2020 and the project remains on schedule to meet this deadline.

While the design and survey work for the scheme documents incurred some delays due to Covid related restrictions, the project team worked diligently to minimise these delays and they have since been completed. In addition, the scheme and environmental documentation has undergone a legal compliance review in order to ensure their robustness for the confirmation process.

It is difficult to provide an accurate completion date at this stage as the estimated timeframe is dependent on the length of the confirmation process, the associated review of the scheme and the challenges that can present once construction gets underway. However, the preliminary programme indicates that construction of the scheme will be substantially complete in 2023.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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325. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of progress on the proposed flood relief scheme for Ballina, County Mayo; and the proposed timeline for completion of the project as of that date. [22234/20]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Ballina Flood Relief Scheme is currently at the preliminary design phase. The consultants appointed earlier this year have carried out extensive data collection in order to collate the relevant data, to feed into design models and identify potential solutions to the flood risk in the town.

The project team are planning a Public Consultation day in September 2020 to engage with the public and to gather any further local knowledge, photos, videos, etc. of flood events, which would aid the consultant engineers with their design work.

The event will be held virtually with all documentation and resources provided online. This virtual event will also afford the public the opportunity to ask questions and communicate with the project team. There will also be a physical public consultation held in Ballina for residents who may not have access to the internet or who would prefer to engage with the project team in person, albeit in a safe and controlled environment, with the necessary protocols in place.

The scheme is currently progressing well in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic. The scheme is on programme and this public consultation will bring the team closer to establishing the feasibility of a number of options for works that could be implemented to protect the town as well as seeking to engage the public in the process. Following this, the preferred option will be prepared for planning consent as appropriate. The monthly steering group meetings are being executed remotely in order to progress the scheme.

It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate for project completion at this early stage until a preferred option is established and the project team has commenced their detailed design work.