I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 65 together.
Responsibility for coastal protection matters was transferred from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to the Office of Public Works in 2009. The OPW liaises closely as required with other Departments and public bodies that have a role or involvement in coastal matters. Coastal protection is addressed through a policy which has as a primary objective that in areas identified as being at greatest risk of damage or loss to economic assets through coastal erosion or flooding, appropriate and sustainable measures are identified by Local Authorities to protect those assets and, where such measures are economically justified on cost benefit grounds and compatible with all required environmental and other statutory requirements, they are implemented subject to the availability of resources. The Irish Coastal Protection Strategy Study (ICPSS) has surveyed and assessed the coastal erosion risk along the entire national coastline and this information is available to all Local Authorities to enable them to develop appropriate plans and strategies for the sustainable management of the coastline in their counties including the identification, prioritisation and, subject to the availability of resources, the implementation of coastal protection works both of a structural and non-structural nature.
The funding provision referred to by the Deputy was contained in the Government Decision of 11th February 2014 which allocated total funding of up to €69.5m for repair of public infrastructure and facilities damaged by the severe weather events in the period 13th December 2013 to 6th January 2014 based on estimates of costs provided by Local Authorities to the Department of the Environment Community and Local Government (DoECLG). The allocation included up to €19.6m for repairs of existing coastal protection and flood defences to be channelled through the Office of Public Works (OPW). The Government Decision stated that works to strengthen coastal protection and coastal defences, which are separate from the repair and restoration works on which the €19.6m figure was based, would require more detailed examination in the context of the OPW Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management studies which are due for completion by 2015.
Of the figure of up to €69.5m allocated by Government, a total of up to €2,980,320 was included in respect of infrastructure in County Kerry that was damaged in the period covered by the Decision. Of that total amount of almost €3m up to €1,226,920 is available via the OPW for repair of built coastal protection and flood defences. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government wrote to Kerry County Council notifying it of its allocations in respect of each category of infrastructure covered by the Decision and requesting that the Council submit a programme of works within these allocations.
With regard to the provision of additional funding, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government will shortly be reporting to Government in relation to repair costs arising from severe weather events in the period 27th January to 17th February, 2014 which will contain estimates from local authorities of the cost of repairing infrastructure damaged in that period. The Government will consider the matter of additional funding in that context.
