Vol. 486 No. 1
637 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he has finalised his examination of a submission from Cork County Council in relation to flood damage; and if he will make an additional financial allocation to the council. [1310/98]
I intend that non-national road grant allocations for 1998, which will shortly be made, will provide for the special and ongoing needs of all road authorities, including Cork County Council.
638 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his Department will provide a grant to Kilkenny Corporation in order to provide a flood relief wall at John's Quay and an embankment at the rear of Green Street, Kilkenny in view of the small sum involved which will remove the intolerable inconvenience and pressure on the families affected by the frequent flooding of this area and the fact that both measures have been identified as necessary in each survey undertaken by the Office of Public Works and the local authority and as it may be many years before the Office of Public Works will undertake a major drainage scheme which they are currently planning for the River Nore. [1314/98]
The design and implementation of flood relief schemes is a matter for the Office of Public Works and I have no function in this matter. There are no funds available to my Department out of which a grant could be made to finance such works. In addition, local authorities are empowered under the Local Authority (Works) Act, 1949, to execute works affording relief or protection from flooding but my Department has no substantive involvement by way of grant assistance or otherwise with these provisions. In relation to roads, my Department allocates grants to Kilkenny Corporation on an annual basis towards the cost of the maintenance and upkeep of the non-national roads in its area. These grants must be applied to specific categories of road works which can, in certain circumstances, include works involving retaining walls. It is a matter for Kilkenny Corporation to decide whether its non-national road grant could properly be applied to the works in question.
