Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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301. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of works on a river (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45957/21]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Office of Public Works (OPW) has maintenance responsibility for Arterial Drainage Schemes completed under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995. Each year the OPW carries out work to approximately 2000km of channels and about 200 structures around the country as part of its ongoing and rolling arterial drainage maintenance programme.

The River Galey maintenance works programme is carried out by the OPW as part of the Feale Catchment Drainage Scheme (CDS) annual maintenance programme. Works on the Feale CDS are generally carried out on a cyclical basis as part of the general maintenance operation. In addition to this, the channels are ranged, any deterioration is logged and in this regard, works may be brought forward out of the general maintenance cycle. The implementation of maintenance works is subject to a range of factors, including compliance with environmental legislation, landowner agreement, the availability of resources and weather events which allow a relatively small window for some works to be carried out. Works on the River Galey and the Feale CDS were carried out this year and further works will be continued into the future subject to these factors.