Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 July 2016
27. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount of money provided in 2016 to date to deal with flooding issues arising out of the floods of last winter; the projects for which this money is provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19553/16]
View answerI wish all the best to my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Seán Canney. I know that he is fully familiar with the problem relating to flooding. The big challenge we all face is that it was an acute issue in the media every day at Christmas, but now that the weather is a bit better and the floods have subsided, it will go at the normal pace. I would like to know how much money we have, but a much bigger challenge is what works will be done this year and maybe in the early part of next year out of that money and how quickly they will be done. Winter is coming and we could get a repeat of last year's weather.
I thank the Deputy for his kind words. I, too, am acutely aware of the flooding that happened throughout the country last winter. I will cut to the chase. The total funding available to the Office of Public Works for its overall flood risk management programme in 2016 is €80.746 million. This amount includes expenditure on capital flood relief works, drainage maintenance activities, the catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, programme, purchase of plant and equipment, hydrometric and hydrological investigation and monitoring, and the general administration costs for operating the entire programme.
Of the total allocation, €52.561 million has been provided in 2016 for expenditure on flood relief capital works. This amount provides for the preparation and design of flood relief schemes, the construction of flood relief works, the payment of compensation costs arising from these works and the carrying out of minor coastal and non-coastal works by local authorities with funding provided by the OPW under the minor works scheme. It also provides for the carrying out of CFRAM studies. The 2016 allocation includes a deferred surrender or capital carryover of €7 million from the 2015 allocation.
The expenditure to date by the Office of Public Works in 2016 on the flood risk management programme has been €23.223 million. Good progress is being made on the implementation of all of the main elements of the programme. In relation to the capital works element of the programme in particular, major schemes in Ennis, Waterford and the River Wad in Dublin will be completed this year. Works are continuing on the major schemes in Bray, on the River Dodder in Dublin and on the quays in Dublin. The Deputy will be pleased to know that works have now commenced on the River Clare scheme in Claregalway, contracts have been signed for Skibbereen and Bandon and the contractors are mobilising. The schemes at Templemore, Foynes and Dunkellin, again in Galway, are expected to commence construction in 2016.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House.
Another 21 schemes will continue to be advanced through design and planning stages.
Smaller-scale flood relief works continue to be funded in 2016 through the OPW's minor works scheme, which puts local authorities in funds to carry out more localised flood mitigation measures. Expenditure of €2.5 million to €3 million is anticipated on this scheme in 2016. Approximately 30 projects have been approved for funding to date in 2016, which brings the total number approved since 2009 when the scheme was introduced to 544, with total expenditure of €30 million approximately.
Good progress continues to be made this year also on the implementation of the CFRAM programme. The programme involves the production of predictive flood mapping for 300 areas of significant flood risk, the development of preliminary flood risk management options and the production of flood risk management plans for those areas.
The draft flood mapping is now being finalised, work on the development of preliminary options to address flood risk is under way, leading to the development of integrated flood risk management plans containing specific measures to address in a comprehensive and sustainable way the significant flood risks identified. The draft plans are scheduled to be made available for public consultation from mid-2016. Following the public consultation process, the finalised plans will include a prioritised list of measures, both structural and non-structural, to address flood risk in an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective manner.
The Government recently announced increased levels of investment in the area of flood relief as part of the overall capital investment plan 2016-2021 and this investment programme will allow for consideration of measures arising from the flood risk management plans.
Arising out of the particular difficulties experienced last winter by home owners along the Shannon, the Government decided on 5 January 2016 to establish the Shannon flood State agency co-ordination working group to enhance ongoing co-operation across all of the State agencies involved with the River Shannon. The group has met on three occasions to date and has conducted an audit of the roles and responsibilities of State agency organisations and has published its Shannon flood risk work programme for 2016. This work programme, which is available on the OPW website, sets out co-ordinated actions and activities for the Shannon catchment. The group has engaged in a programme of public consultation and has held a series of open days on its work programme. It is also considering, in co-operation with the Attorney General's office, the development of appropriate guidance that will set out more clearly the rights and responsibilities of non-statutory bodies in relation to watercourses.
An interdepartmental flood policy co-ordination group, established to support the OPW’s CFRAM programme, was reconvened in July 2015. This group is looking at a range of policy issues, including insurance, community resilience, individual property protection, a national flood forecasting and warning service, a review of the planning and development guidelines and, if necessary, voluntary home relocation to ensure that policies that can benefit communities and individuals directly - to be prepared and respond to or live with flood risk - are fully and carefully considered. The report of the group will be finalised for submission to Government shortly, in conjunction with the completion of the draft flood risk management plans.
I think it is clear from the foregoing that a very considerable amount of work is under way by the OPW to address in a comprehensive and sustainable way the problem of flooding and flood risk nationally. It will take time for all of these measures to have effect, but it is important that the right solutions are found and put in place that will provide a lasting protection to those communities affected by flooding.
The Minister of State's public servants have provided him with a lot of information. Unfortunately, most of it does not really relate to the question I asked, which was quite specific, on the amount of money provided in 2016 to deal with flooding issues arising out of the floods of last winter, the project for which the money has been provided. I give the Minister of State a good example. As he knows, there was severe flooding during that period in south Mayo, from Cong, The Neale and right across towards Claremorris. From what the Minister of State mentioned, it would appear that nothing has happened, that there is no money provided but, more important, no projects are in place to ensure this does not happen again.
I am sure that particular pattern is being repeated throughout the country. The places mentioned by the Minister of State are very worthy. They are long-term programmes, including Claregalway which has been in gestation since 2009. Specifically, what has been done for the areas that were flooded last winter that had not been flooded before, to ensure that remedial works are carried out and it does not happen again?
The Deputy mentioned some areas such as Cong, which I visited last week. Local authorities have a mechanism under the minor works scheme by which they can apply for funding of up to €500,000 for any of these projects. As regards Cong, which the Deputy specifically mentioned, the local authority is preparing the necessary estimates to submit them to the OPW for funding approval. In other areas in Mayo and Galway similar minor works applications have been made continuously since 2015 and that is replicated across the country. However, local authorities could be submitting more of these applications. Funding is there for works that happened last year and up to €500,000 can be provided if they meet the criteria.
Our major projects are taking far too long to bring through the process so we can get construction on site. I am acutely aware of that and have done an analysis of what happened in the past since I came into office. As regards the future, I have created a working group in a few Departments to try to reduce the time taken to get flood relief projects on the ground. It is frustrating for people but small projects can be dealt with by local authorities immediately.
I do not envy the Minister of State his task. Year after year, before he assumed office, there was a carry-over. That meant that one fought in the Estimates to get the money, but at the end of the year it was not spent. It is heartbreaking for any Minister worth his salt. It has been happening in the OPW. As the Minister of State said, we need to shorten the system and put more projects into it because there are always unforeseen delays. I hope the Minister of State will do that and will be single-minded in ensuring it happens.
I am very interested in what he said about local authorities not getting projects in fast enough. I welcome the idea of allowing them to do small projects on a developed basis up to €500,000. In a lot of the smaller areas that will do considerable work to alleviate this problem.
What steps has the Minister of State taken to try to put the skids under local authorities to get projects in that could save houses next winter? That would ensure that places vulnerable to coastal flooding will not be flooded again. It would also ensure that significant work could be undertaken.
I want to commend the Minister of State. I know from first hand that he has injected a sense of urgency into this process. How many applications has he received from local authorities nationwide directly related to damage done in 2015? How many of those have been approved for work that is under way by the Department? We are in July and are moving into the flood season again, so this work needs to be done now.
As regards Deputy Calleary's question, I do not have the figures nationally but it is an ongoing process. For instance, Galway County Council has produced its report and a schedule of works. About eight schemes have been approved and six are in the process of being approved. Approximately 24 more are being worked on at the moment. I do not know if that is reflected all over the country but that is what has been happening since the flooding in 2015.
Everything that can be done will be done under the law to try to shorten the process by which we get works done. We must obey the rules and directives, but I am confident that when we have finished the process - which I have set out with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, involving my colleagues the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, and the Minister of State, Deputy Eoghan Murphy - we will create a framework by which we will get procurement, design and implementation of projects. We will thus shorten the time involved to a reasonable period.
Currently, on average, it can take up to seven years to get major projects from inception to arrival on site. We have to do something about that. I assure Deputies that I will do everything to try to improve on that with the co-operation of all the other Departments involved. I am confident that we will achieve that.
