Written answers
Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
Flood Risk Management
Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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227. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will consider transferring responsibility for drainage districts nationwide which are under local authority control, owing to the Arterial Drainage Act 1945, to the Office of Public Works in order that there is a single, streamlined and better resourced entity. [34211/22]
Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Office of Public Works (OPW) is responsible for the maintenance of Arterial Drainage Schemes and catchment drainage schemes designated under the Arterial Drainage Acts of 1945 and 1995.
Drainage Districts are areas where drainage schemes to improve land for agricultural purposes were constructed under the Arterial Drainage Acts from 1842 up to 1943. Of the 293 such schemes carried out, some 170 remain covering 4,600km of river channel. The statutory duty of maintenance for the 4,600km of river channel benefitting from these schemes rests with the Local Authorities concerned under the Arterial Drainage Act.
It is understood that funding for the maintenance of the Drainage Districts is derived by local authorities through their own resources and from allocations to the local authorities provided by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage through the Local Government Fund.
The OPW has no plans regarding transferring of responsibility for Drainage Districts from Local Authorities as proposed by the Deputy.
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