Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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158. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department will carry out an audit of flood prevention embankments and other infrastructure to establish the potential that such infrastructure holds for adaptation to walking and cycling infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32349/21]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The provision of walkways and cycleways is a matter for local authorities and the Office of Public Works (OPW) would be happy to work with the local authorities and other State bodies with their planned development of such community assets, where feasible.

In respect of the OPW’s planned programme of flood relief works that involve embankments, the OPW works with those local authorities that wish to explore opportunities for the provision, where feasible, of additional public realm elements such as cycling and walking.

The Deputy will be aware that the OPW is responsible for the maintenance of embankments that form part of arterial drainage schemes it completed under the Arterial Drainage Acts. These embankments are not in State ownership but are on lands that are for the most part privately owned. I am advised that these embankments were not designed or constructed to cater for cycleways or walkways and might not have the capability to have any sort of walking or cycling infrastructure placed on top of them.