Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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108. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when he will officially sign off on the flood relief scheme for the River Slaney, Enniscorthy town, County Wexford. [34512/20]

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(WCC) 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 requires the MPER to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed Scheme. This will involve, inter alia, a formal review by MPER of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) commissioned by WCC and recently submitted (along with a Natura Impact Statement) to the MPER as part of the formal Confirmation process.

The statutory public consultation period required in relation to this process has recently been completed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), and any relevant observations are being taken into consideration. In addition to this, DPER are currently engaging with independent consultants, appointed on behalf of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, in relation to reviewing the submissions received together with a review of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and the Natura Impact Statement submitted as part of the formal confirmation process. The results of these reviews and assessments, which are statutory requirements under the European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Arterial Drainage) Regulations 2019 are expected shortly. It is anticipated that DPER will revert to the OPW shortly in relation to these matters

It is not possible at this point in the process to give specific dates for confirmation by the MPER as the assessment has not been finalised.