Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of and have seen at first hand the devastating impact flooding has had to home owners, businesses and communities during Storm Babet, last year.

The Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme - Ireland’s largest study of flood risk, was completed by the Office of Public Works in 2018. This studied the flood risk for two-thirds of the population against their risk of flooding from rivers and the sea. An output of the CFRAM Programme, the Government’s Flood Risk Management Plans provide the evidence for a proactive approach for designing and constructing flood relief schemes for the most at-risk communities. The delivery of these Plans is supported by €1.3 billion through the National Development Plan to 2030. To date, 55 schemes have been completed, which are providing protection to over 13,000 properties and an economic benefit to the State in damages and losses avoided estimated to be in the region of €2 billion.

It is not possible to progress all 150 flood relief schemes identified by the Flood Risk Management Plans simultaneously. This is due to the limited availability of the professional and specialised engineering skills required to design and construct flood relief schemes. This prioritised approach to delivering flood risk schemes means that work is complete, or underway to protect some 80% of all at-risk properties nationally.

Following Storm Babet, an assessment of the proposed flood relief scheme for Midleton is now underway, so we can be confident that we have designed a scheme that can meet the standard of protection required by the insurance industry. The Midleton flood relief scheme is in the first tranche of projects being progressed as a part of the national programme. The next major step is to seek planning consent and work has already begun on the environmental surveys to allow us to start the planning process early in 2024.

Identification and implementation of interim flood defence measures for Midleton has also been progressed, including the jetting of the towns drainage system, removal of trees in the channel at Moore’s Bridge, and installation of water level gauges.

The flood relief scheme intended for Castlemartyr is not in the first tranche of projects being progressed as a part of the national programme. However, the Government is committed to funding this scheme, as a part of the €1.3bn made available for flood relief measures under the National Development Plan. The Office of Public Works is currently trialling an alternative delivery model to inform the delivery mechanism for all 50 flood relief schemes in the second tranche of schemes.

Once consultants are appointed to progress the Castlemartyr scheme, consultation with statutory and non-statutory bodies, as well as the general public, will take place at appropriate stages in the project. This is to ensure that all stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide their input into the development of the proposed scheme.

In July 2018, Cork County Council submitted an application under the OPW's Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme for river cleaning works upstream and downstream of Castlemartyr Bridge. This application did not meet the criteria for the scheme. Following the recent devastating flooding caused by Storm Babet, Cork County Council confirmed that it would review its original application and has recently submitted an updated application to the OPW for Castlemartyr. This application is being considered by the OPW and will be discussed with Cork County Council, especially in relation to the linkages of any proposed minor works with the flood relief scheme for the town and any linkages with managing the flood risk in Mogeely. To date the OPW has not received an application from Cork County Council for Mogeely, under the Minor Works Scheme.