Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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150. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to detail all funding available through his Department for the cleaning and dredging of rivers. [40854/23]

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 completed under the Arterial Drainage Acts, 1945 and 1995, as amended. Some 2,100km of channel and some 135km of embankments are maintained annually through an ongoing programme of works of a cyclical nature. Silt and vegetation management of channels is the most widespread maintenance activity, with the average channel requiring maintenance every four to six years.

The costs of the maintenance of these schemes over the past five years is detailed below:

The Government has allocated some €20.8m for the maintenance of Arterial Drainage Schemes in 2023.

The maintenance of OPW Arterial Drainage Schemes has evolved significantly over the past 20 years, driven primarily by environmental legislation such as the EU Birds and Habitats Directives and the Water Framework Directive. Arterial drainage maintenance works are carried out in accordance with relevant legislation, through a range of environmental assessments, including Strategic Environmental Assessments, Appropriate Assessments and Ecological Assessments, supported by widespread stakeholder consultation.

In addition, as the lead agency for Flood Risk Management, OPW is responsible for leading and coordinating the implementation of localised flood relief schemes to protect Ireland against significant flood risk from rivers and the sea. The Government has committed €1.3 billion, to 2030, to deliver some 150 additional flood relief schemes identified as part of the OPW’s Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme to provide protection to communities at risk of flooding. Furthermore, the OPW Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme provides funding to Local Authorities for minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised fluvial flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative areas.