Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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107. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position regarding a study (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17384/26]

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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The River at Emyvale forms part of the Monaghan (Blackwater) Arterial Drainage Scheme. The Office of Public Works (OPW) has a statutory duty to maintain Arterial Drainage Schemes completed under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995 as amended, and is required to maintain Arterial Drainage Schemes in proper repair and effective condition. Arterial Drainage Schemes were originally designed to provide improved drainage for agricultural land and to provide flood protection to reduce the frequency of flood events with a low return period of between 1 in 3 year to 1 in 5 year periods.

OPW East Region Drainage Maintenance section have confirmed that they inspected the channels around the Emyvale area in December 2025, and determined that the channels were found to be in good condition. The Monaghan (Blackwater) Arterial Drainage Scheme is included in the OPW maintenance programme for 2026. The Annual Maintenance Programme is available at: opw.ie

Monaghan County Council has advised that it has engaged a specialist engineering consultant to progress an Integrated Flood Catchment Study for Monaghan Town. This work includes an assessment of the town’s drainage network and wider contributing catchments, including the Shambles River and extending to the Blackwater River. The study is ongoing and updates will be provided by the Council to local councillors, once available.

Localised flooding issues are a matter, in the first instance, for each Local Authority to investigate and address, and a Local Authority may carry out flood mitigation works using its own resources. It is open to Monaghan County Council to apply to the OPW’s Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme to address flooding issues. The scheme was introduced by the OPW on an administrative, non-statutory basis in 2009. The purpose of the scheme is to provide funding to Local Authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works, or studies to address localised flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative areas.

Since 2009, the OPW has approved funding under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme of circa €2.5 million to County Monaghan for some 27 projects. The criteria for the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme are currently under review, and any application under the scheme will be considered against revised criteria. The OPW expect to advise Local Authorities of the revised criteria for the Scheme shortly.