Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 June 2021
241. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the approval of the Crossmolina flood relief scheme; when the scheme will be approved to proceed to tender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32062/21]
View answerThe current status in relation to Crossmolina Flood Relief Scheme is as follows:
As part of the approval process, the OPW submitted the scheme documentation to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (MPER) for Statutory Confirmation under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995. As part of this statutory process, stakeholders were afforded a formal opportunity to provide comments on the environmental element of the proposed works. Once this step concluded, the Department of Public Expenditure (DPER) procured independent consultants to carry out an assessment of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and Natura Impact Statement (NIS).
Following a review of the material by DPER, the Office of Public Works received comments and requests for supplementary information. The project team for the Crossmolina Flood Relief Scheme are now compiling responses and supplementary information for DPER and will respond with the additional requested information in July. Once DPER receive this material, they will in turn need to review this material prior to granting Statutory Confirmation of the Scheme. We cannot provide an indicative timeline for this stage as it is outside of our control.
Subject to a satisfactory conclusion of DPER's Consultation and Independent Review, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will give statutory consent to the scheme, allowing the project team to bring the Crossmolina Flood Relief Scheme to construction. Subject to confirmation, it is currently anticipated that the OPW construction crew will be in a position to commence advance construction works this year. These are indicative timelines and may vary depending on the confirmation process and favourable ground conditions.
Once DPER/MPER have completed their review, further information will be provided on the project website, which is available at: https://www.floodinfo.ie/frs/en/crossmolina/home/
