Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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49. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 74 of 23 April 2024 and 448 of 19 March 2025, if Mogeely is included in flood relief plans for the Castlemartyr area or if it is being reviewed separately for flood relief measures; if his Department is considering the full hydrological and hydrogeological analysis of the Mogeely area as part of minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme measures, ahead of any full flood scheme commencing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14272/25]

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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The delivery of the Flood Risk Management Plans that are a key output of the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management programme (published in 2018) is supported by €1.3bn through the National Development Plan. It is not possible to progress all 150 flood relief schemes identified by the Flood Risk Management Plans simultaneously, due to the limited availability of the professional and specialised engineering and other skills and services that are required to design and construct flood relief schemes. Since 2018, the Office of Public Works (OPW) has trebled the number of flood relief schemes at design, planning, and construction to some 100 schemes.

Under the national programme, work has yet to commence on the design of some 50 Tranche 2 flood relief schemes. Planning for the delivery of these schemes has commenced through the Tranche 2 Pilot at four locations in Counties Donegal and Kilkenny. Ultimately, the Pilot will inform the delivery model to be applied for the future tranche of schemes nationally and, in doing so, will be relevant to all schemes. Significant preparatory work is underway, with the Pilot schemes’ range of information and data-gathering requirements currently being considered and outlined.

Cork County Council can introduce localised flood mitigation measures with up to 90% funding from the OPW's Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. Under the Minor Works scheme, applications are considered for projects that are estimated to cost not more than €750,000 to address localised fluvial flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative area. The scheme applies where a flood defence solution can be readily identified and achieved within a short timeframe. I understand that Cork County Council are considering all possible solutions to mitigate against flooding in the Mogeely area.

The OPW has ongoing engagement with Cork County Council in relation to flood risk at Mogeely, Castlemartyr, and other communities and the optimal means of implementing flood relief measures for these areas. In the interim, the village of Mogeely is included in the Midleton and East Cork Individual Property Protection (IPP) Scheme, which is a Cork County Council scheme with €5.8m of funding by the OPW. Under this IPP Scheme, property owners who experienced flooding during Storm Babet (October 2023) are eligible to apply for receipt of IPP measures.