Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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333. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will publish the terms of reference and the work plan for the new national coastal change management strategy steering group; the membership of the steering group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23260/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The National Coastal Change Management Strategy Steering Group is jointly chaired by my Department and the Office of Public Works (OPW). The Group is comprised of senior officials from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Met Éireann, and the County and City Management Association. The Group met for the first time on 3^rdSeptember 2020 and will report to Government within six months with initial findings and recommendations.

The Inter-Departmental Group has been convened to scope out an approach for the development of an integrated, whole of Government coastal change management strategy. The scoping report will seek to address matters including:-

- Approaches to coastal change management in EU and other jurisdictions;

- Baseline and other data capture and research requirements to inform developing, implementing and monitoring a national coastal management strategy, to include potential damages assessment;

- Outline of the economic, environmental, cultural and social policy issues arising with approaches to coastal change management;

- Criteria that can help inform planning and investment decisions on future use of all coastal areas, including any guidance requirements;

- Recommendations on future structures and roles of Government Departments to deal with coastal change and to deliver a national coastal change policy, including adaptation strategies, resource implications, legislative and regulatory change requirements and a communications strategy to underpin it.

The work of the group will build upon preliminary risk analysis by the OPW, existing climate adaptation plans, the National Planning Framework and the draft National Marine Planning Framework, to provide a framework for key decisions to be taken on how Ireland can best manage its coastline in light of the risks from rising sea levels and more frequent extreme sea level events and coastal erosion.