Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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339. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to provide additional resources to Cork County Council to address the impact of recent flooding due to high rainfall in February 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11600/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Local authorities are designated as a principal response agency as well as being 'lead agency' for coordinating the local response to flooding emergencies as per the Government decision relating to the “Framework for Major Emergency Management” (2006).

The arrangements for emergency management have evolved and, when called upon, are seen as having worked well, in particular the responses to flooding and other severe weather emergencies led by local authorities. All local authorities have Severe Weather/Flood Plans in place to support the response to weather emergencies as part of their individual Major Emergency Plans. Local authorities also have a Severe Weather Assessment Team in place, monitoring Met Éireann weather warnings and OPW and EFAS flood advisory/ warnings and High Tide Advisories.

My Department is designated as 'Lead Government Department', as set out in the Government approved Strategic Emergency Management (SEM) Framework (2017), in relation to coordination of response to flooding emergencies at national level where warranted. My Department's National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management undertakes this role, and works closely with Local Authority Severe Weather Assessment Teams.

The Covid-19 pandemic has necessitated some changes in established practices, and my Department has made necessary changes, including hosting/ providing a direct link for situation briefing between Met Éireann's forecasting and flood forecasting division and the local authorities in advance of any predicted severe weather event.

On the morning of February 22nd, an Orange level warning for very heavy rain was issued by Met Éireann for counties Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, and Waterford for the period from 19:00 on February 22nd to 21:00 on February 23rd. Heavy rain in such a short period brings with it the potential for both pluvial and fluvial flooding. In advance of the event my Department liaised with potentially affected local authorities and other key stakeholders to support the coordination of necessary support for any anticipated vulnerabilities within those local authorities. While some flooding was experienced, with road closures in the South and Southwest of the country, the predicted impacts were less than had been anticipated and were further mitigated by the early intervention of local authorities, who took preventative measures to protect infrastructure, homes and businesses from flood water inundation. Generally, the costs of their response to weather events, such as that experienced by Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Tipperary on 22 and 23 February 2021, would be funded by the local authorities themselves in the first instance.

Since 2009, it has been the established practice of this Department to assist local authorities in meeting the unbudgeted costs such as staff overtime and hire of plant and contractors, associated with the clean-up and necessary immediate works following very severe weather emergency events, including flooding. This is in recognition of the exceptional nature of activities carried out by local authorities in responding to these types of emergencies and the fact that the costs of these un-programmed activities cannot be met from within existing resources. This practice is considered a vital enabler of local authority response, providing the assurance that availability of resources is not a limiting factor in providing a very effective local response.

As severe weather events and their impact and response are unplanned, a dedicated line of funding is not set aside annually to fund these measures. However, where a very severe event occurs, my Department request additional funding to support local authorities with the exceptional costs associated with the response to and clean-up of the event.

In the period, 2009 to 2020, funding in excess of €90 million has been made available to local authorities from this Department to support the costs associated with the response to severe weather related emergency events including flooding.

Funding of repair of public infrastructure is undertaken by the relevant Department in line with its sectoral responsibility. Capital costs associated with infrastructural damage, for example damage to the roads network and coastal protection infrastructure (where relevant), are not included therefore under the above arrangements.