Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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155. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress made on the proposed flood mitigation measures at Ballycar, County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63384/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy may be aware my predecessor, Eamon Ryan, previously met with the then Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Patrick O’Donovan, to discuss the complex issues in relation to flooding in the Ballycar area. At that meeting the OPW Chair advised he would reconvene the steering group behind a December 2020 Report on Ballycar to continue discussions.

The steering group in question includes Iarnród Éireann, the OPW, Clare County Council and the Geological Survey Ireland. Officials from my Department will engage with the OPW on reconvening the group with a view to progressing the matter.

Of relevance, the Department of Transport's annual capital allocations from 2026 to 2030 were confirmed in the Review of the National Development Plan (NDP), published by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in July. The Department of Transport is currently finalising its NDP Sectoral Investment Plan in the context of that capital funding envelope and a decision on a programme of delivery, including investments in the rail sector, with this level of capital investment, will be made shortly. The related Sectoral Plan is expected to be published within a month.