Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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293. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the flood relief scheme in Enniscorthy, County Wexford; when he expects construction to start; if an estimate of the full costs involved will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28381/20]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Enniscorthy (River Slaney) flood defence scheme is being progressed by Wexford County Council on behalf of the Commissioners of Public Works as a scheme under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995. This is a significant scheme within the Office of Public Works €1 billion flood relief investment programme, and on completion will protect 236 properties in the town.

The Scheme requires formal confirmation to proceed from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (MPER). This is a statutory requirement under the Arterial Drainage Acts, which now, under the recent European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Arterial Drainage) Regulations 2019, also require the MPER to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed Scheme. This now involves, inter alia, a formal review by MPER of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) prepared by the Commissioners and recently submitted (along with a Natura Impact Statement) to the MPER as part of the formal confirmation process.

The River Slaney (Enniscorthy) Flood Relief Scheme is currently awaiting formal Confirmation to proceed from The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The statutory consultation period required in relation to this process has recently been completed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and any relevant observations will be taken into consideration. While it is not possible to give a construction start date until such time as the scheme is formally confirmed, Wexford County Council and the OPW are working together to ensure that the procurement of a Contractor for the flood relief works will be completed as soon as practicable after the confirmation of the scheme. The overall budget for the scheme is €50.7m, provision for which has been made in the OPW multi Annual Capital Budget.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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294. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the flood relief scheme for Wexford town, County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28382/20]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Wexford flood relief scheme is being progressed by Wexford Co. Council with finance and advice from the Office of Public Works. A tender competition to appoint consultants was completed on 9th July 2020 and the tender assessment board met in August to review the submissions. WCC are currently compiling the tender assessment report for the OPW with a view to identifying the successful tender in the coming weeks.

The consultants will then prepare the design of the proposed works to bring the project forward for submission for planning and other relevant statutory consents, and subject to such consents, to detailed design, tendering and construction.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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295. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the flood relief scheme for Rosslare Strand, County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28383/20]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Office of Public Works in conjunction with Wexford County Council have been progressing options for coastal erosion protection works along Rosslare Strand to the seaward side, and flood defence works to the landward side of the spit in Rosslare.

The Commissioners of Public Works have now formally approved funding in the amount of approximately €600,000 to engage consultants to prepare the design of the proposed works to bring the project forward for submission for planning and other relevant statutory consents, and subject to such consents, to detailed design, tendering and construction, with total funding of €6.4m to be made available should a viable scheme be identified.

Wexford County Council are currently working on tender documents to advertise for the design consultant in the coming months.