Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 28 Jan 1998

Vol. 486 No. 1

Written Answers. - Flood Relief.

Dan Neville

Question:

499 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Finance the progress made by the Office of Public Works for improvements at Dromcolliher to increase the capacity in the downstream river channel to avert the serious flooding which has taken place over a number of years; the response to the discussions with the Office of Public Works during November 1997; and the response to a request made by Limerick County Council on 19 November 1997 for the Office of Public Works to carry out necessary drainage works in the area of the Deel catchment. [1347/98]

Dan Neville

Question:

500 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Finance the progress to date in 1998 made by the Office of Public Works for improvements at Dromcolliher to increase the capacity in the downstream river channel to avert the serious flooding which has taken place over a number of years; and the response to the discussions with the Office of Public Works during November 1997, and a request made by Limerick County Council on the 19 November 1997 for the Office of Public Works to carry out necessary drainage works in the area of the Deel catchment. [1446/98]

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Mr. Cullen):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 499 and 500 together.

The Office of Public Works has been appraised by Limerick County Council of the flooding problems at Dromcolliher, County Limerick, which is situated in the Deel River catchment.

The drainage works suggested in the interim report by Limerick County Council for Dromcolliher are outside the scope of the Office of Public Works maintenance responsibilities for the Deel catchment drainage scheme. The resources of the Office of Public Works are fully committed for the foreseeable future to progressing the schemes originally selected for priority attention under the Urban Flood Relief Programme and, just this week I inaugurated phase 2 of the Mulkear drainage scheme which deals with the alleviation of flooding in the Cappamore area. The estimated cost of this scheme is of the order of £7 million and will take approximately two and a half years to complete. Consequently, no progress has been made regarding the preparation of a flood relief scheme for Dromcolliher and there are no plans to have one prepared at present.