Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 November 2014
27. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason his Department has given permission to the Office of Public Works to prefund projects of a capital nature arising from the storm damage last January when similar expenditure arising out of same storm damage approved by other Departments is not allowed to be prefunded under the rules laid down by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42023/14]
View answerThe Government Decision of 11th February 2014 allocated total funding of up to €69.5 million for clean-up, repair and restoration works in relation to public infrastructure that was damaged in the period 13th December 2013 to 6th January 2014. Of this sum of €69.5 million, up to €19.6 million was allocated for repair of existing coastal protection and flood defences based on submissions and cost estimates made by the local authorities concerned to the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government (DoECLG). This funding for repair of damaged coastal protection and flood defence infrastructure is being made available to the local authorities via the Office of Public Works (OPW) based on programmes of works submitted by the local authorities. The Departments of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Transport, Tourism and Sport and Agriculture, Food and the Marine are responsible for the approval of programmes of work and the disbursement of funding for repair of other damaged public infrastructure such as roads, piers, harbours and other community facilities and amenities.
Based on the programmes of works of repairs to coastal protection and flood defence infrastructure that were submitted by local authorities, total funding of €19.0 million was approved by the OPW for 176 projects that were deemed to be within the scope of the works covered by the Government Decision. The prioritisation and progression of projects is entirely a matter for the local authorities concerned.
Where the OPW is funding local authorities in carrying out flood defence or coastal protection projects, it is the practice of the Office to seek to enable those bodies to meet liabilities as they arise by providing funding where binding contracts have been entered into by the local authorities. This ensures that the local authorities can proceed with and maintain efficient progression of these projects without the risk of delays due to internal cash flow or financing difficulties. In the case of the projects on the approved programmes of repairs to coastal infrastructure, advances of up to 80% of the funding approved for these works may be made to local authorities on request provided the relevant Director of Services in the local authority certifies that specific conditions have been met, in particular that binding contracts have been entered into by the local authority for the works. Payment of the full amount approved is made on receipt of a statement by the Director of Services certifying that all the applicable conditions have been complied with, including that the works for which funding was allocated have been completed.
The OPW is satisfied that its current practice in relation to funding local authorities is appropriate and accords with the relevant guidance issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The OPW is not aware of the specific funding procedures applied by other Departments in relation to the storm damage repairs.
