Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Louth County Council, working with the Office of Public Works (OPW), are the Lead Authority in the delivery of flood relief schemes at Dundalk/Blackrock South, Drogheda, Carlingford/Greenore, Baltray and Ardee, all of which are in the first tranche of projects being progressed. The funding for these schemes has been allocated under the €1.3bn investment in flood relief under the National Development Plan to 2030.

The development and progression of flood relief schemes is overseen by project Steering Groups with representatives, meeting typically monthly, from the OPW and Louth County Council and the consultant engineers. Delivering a flood relief scheme involves five distinct, sequential and related stages. Aligned to the decision gateways of the Infrastructure Guidelines these are assessing the flood risk and identifying options; seeking planning consent, detailed design, construction and maintenance. Public consultation forms part of the scheme design and project websites, available on floodinfo.ie provide updates on each scheme’s progress.

The Dundalk/Blackrock South and Ardee projects are being progressed simultaneously and engineering and environmental consultants were appointed in 2020. The proposed scheme will protect some 1,880 properties when completed. The emerging scheme option for Dundalk/Blackrock South is expected later in 2024 and the finalisation of options appraisal for Ardee is being prepared.

Consultants for the Drogheda and Baltray flood relief schemes were appointed in September 2021. The proposed schemes will protect some 454 properties when completed. The scheme option is expected in Q4 2024.

The OPW established a working group on Carlingford and Greenore that is focused on ensuring that all approaches for implementation are considered from a technical perspective and to propose the best method to proceed, and has met with Louth County Council engineers to progress the project. In Q1 2024 Louth County Council advertised a CCTV and Topographical Survey Tender competition for Carlingford and Greenore to collect data to develop a flood relief scheme.

Scheme viability reviews for Annagassan and Termonfeckin are being progressed by the OPW in-house with completion envisaged in Q2 2024.

The OPW since 2009, has approved circa €1.9m for 24 local flood projects to Louth County Council under the OPW's Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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69. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to report on the progress of the OPW in assessing the impact of climate change on flooding and flood risk assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17706/24]

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The OPW has assessed flood risk through the National Catchment-based Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme and subsequent projects. Flood maps have been prepared and published for potential future conditions, taking into account the potential impacts of climate change, as well as for present-day conditions. This covers the entire coastline, and for all rivers and streams nationally with a catchment area of more than 5km2

The OPW is currently updating the national flood risk assessment based on this mapping to review where significant flood risk currently exists, and importantly also where flood risk may become significant in the future due to the impacts of climate change, and hence where measures to manage the risk may be required in the future.

The OPW's Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan (CCSAP) for Flood Risk Management sets out a long-term goal for adaptation in flood risk management, along with a set of objectives and adaptation actions aimed at achieving those objectives.

These actions, that require a whole-of-government response, span the areas of flood risk prevention, protection and preparedness and resilience, as well as in further research, risk-assessment and capacity building.

Flood relief schemes that are currently in construction or under design, or that are planned as set out in the FRMPs, will have a Scheme Climate Change Adaptation Plan (SCCAP) prepared. This ensures that climate adaptation is embedded in the design process with a view to the scheme being planned and designed so that it will provide for, or can be efficiently adapted to manage, increased flood risk associated with climate change. A pilot SCCAP was developed for the Midleton Flood Relief Scheme as part of the design process for that Scheme, which has informed the preparation of guidance for application across other schemes.

All existing flood relief schemes will also have SCCAPs prepared retrospectively to determine what future interventions or works would be required to maintain the required standard of protection. A national programme is now commencing to prepare such plans for the schemes previously constructed around the country.

A number of other actions from the CCSAP are also being implemented, including revising the Minor Flood Mitigation and Coastal Protection Scheme to ensure that future impacts of climate change are considered, and updating guidance on the economic appraisal of new flood relief schemes to provide for climate change.

The OPW has also been supporting, and will continue to support, research into the potential impacts of climate change for inland and coastal flooding, to ensure that its work is informed by up-to-date and local scientific assessments, as well as data from the international programmes of research.