Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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554. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the flood relief measures his Department have put in place for Kilcock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59094/25]

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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555. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the flood relief measures his Department have put in place for Leixlip; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59095/25]

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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556. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the flood relief measures his Department have put in place for Naas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59096/25]

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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557. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the flood relief measures his Department have put in place for Clane; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59097/25]

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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558. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the flood relief measures his Department have put in place for Maynooth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59098/25]

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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559. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the flood relief measures his Department have put in place for Johnstown Bridge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59099/25]

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 554, 555, 556, 557, 558 and 559 together.

The Government has committed €1.3 billion to the delivery of flood relief schemes over the lifetime of the National Development Plan to protect approximately 23,000 properties in communities that are at significant fluvial and coastal flood risk. Since 2018, as part of a phased approach to scheme delivery, this funding has allowed the Office of Public Works (OPW), in partnership with local authorities, to treble to some 100 the number of schemes at design, planning and construction.

Nationally, 56 schemes have been completed to date. These are providing protection to over 13,500 properties and an economic benefit to the State in damages and losses avoided estimated to be in the region of €2 billion. Consequently, work to protect 80% of all at-risk properties nationally is completed or underway.

To date four major flood relief schemes have been completed in County Kildare, the Lower Morrell (Turnings), Morrell Johnstown, Rye Water (Leixlip) and Shinkeen Stream (Hazelhatch).

The 2018 Flood Risk Management Plans identified six additional flood relief schemes for Kildare and three potential schemes subject to further assessment. Currently, there are three major flood relief schemes underway in Co. Kildare; Morell River Flood Management Scheme, Athy and Naas. Schemes for Clane, Maynooth and Newbridge are in the second tranche of schemes that are part of the national programme of flood relief schemes.

The OPW fund two engineering staff in Kildare County Council to support its delivery of this programme of schemes and other schemes across the county.

The €25m Morell River Flood Management Scheme to protect 30 properties is due to be substantially complete in 2026. Construction began on 1st September 2020, with construction works being undertaken by the OPW East Region Construction team. Some 95.3% of the construction works are now complete. Completed works are in the process of being handed back to Kildare County Council

Consultants were appointed by Kildare County Council to the Athy Flood Relief Scheme in July, 2023. A second public participation day was held in July 2025, to present potential scheme design options. Work is ongoing to identify and present the emerging preferred option at a public participation day in Q2 2026.

Consultants were appointed by Kildare County Council to the Naas Flood Relief Scheme in September 2020. The Naas Flood Relief Scheme is currently at preliminary design stage. Extensive hydraulic modelling work has been completed by the consultant and recent flow surveys have fed into the model. Final calibration of the hydraulic model is underway and will be reviewed by the steering group together with all associated deliverables upon receipt. It is expected that a revised programme outlining the assessment of potential options for the scheme will be finalised by the consultant once the hydraulic model and associated deliverables are submitted for steering group review.

The Leixlip Flood Relief Scheme, with a current budget of €750,000 is being progressed by Kildare County Council. Kildare County Council have drafted the brief for consultants and are working together with the OPW to review the brief to establish the best way to deliver this scheme which is an extension of the completed Rye Water (Leixlip) flood relief scheme.

The delivery of these schemes forms part of the implementation of the Flood Risk Management Plans published in 2018. 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.

Under the national programme, work has yet to commence on the design of some 50 flood relief schemes, often referred to as Tranche 2 schemes. This includes flood relief schemes at Clane, Maynooth and Newbridge. 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.

The Flood Risk Management Plans investigated possible structural Flood Relief measures for Suncroft, Castledermot and Celbridge, however economically viable Schemes for these communities were not identified. The flood risk and options for advancing viable flood relief schemes for these areas is being kept under review by the OPW. Johnstown Bridge and Kilcock were assessed under the Flood Risk Management Plans and a Flood Relief Scheme was not proposed for these areas as they were considered to be at low risk.

Local flooding issues are a matter, in the first instance, for each Local Authority to investigate and address, and Kildare County Council may carry out flood mitigation works using its own resources. The Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme (Minor Works Scheme) was introduced by the OPW in 2009. The purpose of this scheme is to provide funding to Local Authorities to undertake short-term measures in the form of minor flood mitigation works 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 relatively short timeframe, whilst all works must comply with relevant regulatory frameworks. This is a demand led scheme and it is open to Kildare County Council to apply to the OPW for funding of flood mitigation works under this scheme.

Since 2009, the OPW has approved funding under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme of €1.78 million to County Kildare for some seven projects. This includes €238,000 for Kilcock, €67,000 for Leixlip, €356,000 for Clane and €161,000 for Newbridge.