Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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153. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the actions that be taken to improve the Flood Risk Management Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40692/24]

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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As the lead agency with responsibility for Flood Risk Management, the OPW developed a Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan for Flood Risk Management that was approved by Government in October 2019. The Plan which was developed as required under the National Adaptation Framework, 2018, 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.

Adaptation in the context of flood risk management aims to help develop a resilient society with regards to the potential impacts of climate change on flooding and flood risk. This includes ongoing research and assessment of the potential impacts of climate change for flooding and flood risk, the consideration of these impacts in the development and implementation of ongoing and future flood risk management measures, and coordination with other sectors and local authorities as part of a whole of Government approach to sustainable and effective flood risk management.

The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) has confirmed in its recent report that the Plan was developed in accordance with the Sectoral Planning Guidelines for Climate Change Adaptation (DECC, 2018) and with the requirements of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015.

The OPW has been progressing the actions set out in the Plan, and has completed or made significant progress against many of the actions, including:

• Completion and publication of the national indicative flood maps for potential future climate change scenarios, as well as for current risk, for river and coastal flooding.
• Completion of pilot projects for the preparation of Scheme Adaptation Plans for both new and existing flood relief schemes.
• Inclusion of the requirement for the preparation of Scheme Adaptation Plans for all new flood relief scheme projects since 2019 to ensure that the consideration of climate change and adaptation are embedded into the design process for new flood relief schemes.
• Commencement of a national programme to develop Scheme Adaptation Plans for existing flood relief schemes, to assess how these schemes may need to be adapted into the future.
• Amendment of the guidance for Cost Benefit Analysis and the economic appraisal of new flood relief schemes to allow for future increases in flood damages.
• The review of the national flood risk assessment, including the assessment of potential future flood risk, is nearing completion as part of the review of the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment, as required under the EU ‘Floods’ Directive.
• The OPW is working with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to develop further guidance on the consideration of the potential impacts of climate change on flooding and flood risk as part of the planning and development management processes, and the application of the Guidelines on the Planning System and Flood Risk Management (2009).
• The OPW has held a series of almost 30 workshops with local authorities to discuss the application of the 2009 Guidelines and to highlight the need to consider climate change in planning and development management.