Fleming seeks appointment of OPW as statutory authority for Shannon flood relief

Laois-Offaly Fianna Fáil Deputy Sean Fleming called on the Minister of State Simon Harris to appoint the OPW as the statutory national authority to manage all flood relief projects, including implementation of flood defence measures, in view of the serious flooding experienced recently.

Deputy Fleming said he was of the view that the OPW's authority in this area should increased. “We do need a new body as the OPW is in situ,” he said. “The Minister of State has described the current position correctly and it needs to change. “The OPW is the lead State authority for co-ordination and chairs policy committees involving the different bodies involved. This is useful to know, but it does not have authority to carry out works because all of the other bodies mentioned by him have legal authority in different areas, particularly local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government but also the ESB, Bord Fáilte, Irish Water, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Waterways Ireland and Met Éireann.”

Nobody can have statutory authority if all of these bodies have separate statutory roles, he said. “Therefore, we need one organisation with statutory authority to deal with the issue.”

In reply, Minister of State Simon Harris said under the regulations introduced in 2010 the Commissioners of Public Works were appointed as the competent authority under the floods directive for meeting the requirements of an EU Directive. “In that capacity they are required to promote co-ordinated implementation of the directive across river basin districts or other units of management and to work with the competent authorities in Northern Ireland in respect of international river basin districts,” he said. “The Office of Public Works, OPW, has already delivered many flood relief schemes under successive Governments, including in Fermoy, Mallow, Clonmel and Bray and on the River Dodder. “We have put in place a new Shannon co-ordination group, the terms of reference of which will be published in the coming days. It will bring together all of the statutory agencies which have many different roles and functions in respect of electricity supply, navigation and tourism and flood management. The main point is that the OPW, under the catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, process, will have 300 areas at risk of flooding mapped and plans to put in place flood mitigation measures. It is the authority that must deliver them, of which 66 will be in the Shannon river basin.”