Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 November 2023
27. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 38 of 26 October 2023, the status of the review by the Coirib go Cósta steering group of the draft revised programme for the Coirib go Cósta flood relief scheme; the timeline for the publication of the revised project programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52247/23]
View answerThis is something I am following up and it has been given particular urgency after the flooding in Galway. I know the Minister of State was down in Galway and I am sure he will tell us about it. Specifically, I seek an update on the status of the review by the Coirib go Cósta steering group of the draft revised programme for the Coirib go Cósta flood relief schemes; the timeline for the publication of the revised project programme; and if the Minister of State will make a statement on the matter.
I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this. I know she was unavailable on the day I was in Galway. I saw first-hand, when I visited Galway city recently following the flooding caused by Storm Debi, the devastation and impact flooding has on homes, businesses, people and entire communities.
The Government has assessed the flood risk for those communities most at risk from significant flood events. The catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, programme, Ireland’s largest study of flood risk, was completed by the Office of Public Works in 2018. An output of the CFRAM programme, the Government’s flood risk management plan, provides the evidence for a proactive approach for designing and constructing flood relief schemes for the most at-risk communities.
As the Deputy is aware, the process of redefining the scope for the Coirib go Cósta the Galway city flood relief scheme, which is at stage 1, has taken longer than first envisaged due to the complexity and increase in scale of the scheme. The process has been carried out in consultation with the project steering group by the appointed engineering and environmental consultants who are progressing the scheme.
A draft revised scope reflecting additional works for the scheme has been presented to Galway City Council. This revised scope has been reviewed by the Coirib go Cósta steering group members and agreement has been reached. In parallel, the consultants have submitted a revised programme incorporating the additional scope and this programme is currently being reviewed by the Coirib go Cósta steering group members. Galway City Council has advised that, subject to a contract variation, it expects that the revised programme should be available by mid-December 2023. During my recent visit to Galway city, I requested that a meeting be held between Galway City Council and local representatives to update them on the scheme's progress. I understand that is to happen shortly.
Investment in this scheme is through the €1.3 billion for flood relief under the national development plan to 2030. This has allowed the OPW to treble the number of flood relief schemes nationally at design and planning stages to some 100. Since 2009, OPW has approved funding under the minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme of over €1.1 million to Galway City Council for projects, including a number of projects in the city to carry out channel maintenance on the open channel section of the stream and replacement of a trash screen. I can finish the reply shortly.
I thank the Minister of State for coming to Galway. I was chairing the Dáil that day at 2 p.m. and there was no way out of that. I have followed up this matter. The flood plans were drawn up in 2012. Following that, a programme of works were to be carried out. We are still in stage 1, which started in 2020. There has been one consultation in that time. There has been no update on the website in the past year. I want to work with the Minister of State and explain the position to my constituents in Galway. I live in the Claddagh and I am acutely aware of the problems with flooding. Indeed, my own office flooded but that was nothing compared with what homeowners suffered and continue to suffer. I thank the Minister of State for the schemes but I am tired of standing up in the Dáil asking for progress on the essential remedial works. "Remedial" is the wrong word because essential works are needed in the town that is known as the town of rivers and streams.
I know the website has not been updated. It is an issue my officials have brought to the attention of Galway City Council. As the level of the scheme is now greater than it was originally, primarily due to over-topping due to tidal effects, I have asked the city council to meet all the public representatives concerned, councillors and Oireachtas Members. By that stage, the council will have been given the most up-to-date information from the steering group. The meeting is to apprise everyone of what actually happened the last night the city centre flooded, because it is important to do so.
Last week, I met representatives of Galway City Council and a number of other local authorities in the Department. It is important that elected representatives are shown what happened on the night and the response to that event and that they see that the scheme, as originally envisaged, did not take into consideration the level of over-topping that is now being confronted in that part of the west. I hope everyone will agree that, knowing the scale and violence of the Atlantic storms that have hit Galway, including Oranmore in the Deputy’s constituency, and the damage they have done, we must incorporate changes before it is too late.
As a councillor at the time, I and others knew that a one in 100-year event was being looked at. We knew that was madness and we were not experts. In addition, we have been given so many deadlines that have been missed. I realise the complexity of the work but it is difficult to have trust when the website is not updated and reasons are not given. Councillors should be updated as a matter of course at council level and, separately, the TDs for the area.
In January 2023, I was given a date of the first quarter of 2023. I was then told it would be the end of June 2023, then the third quarter 2023 and then the end of November 2023. The Minister of State is telling me tonight it will hopefully be mid-December this year. I can see myself raising these questions with him again in the new year.
I raised this matter as a Topical Issue. That in itself was educational because my office had so much trouble getting the Minister of State’s Department to accept the question. We always table the questions to the Department but, unfortunately, we had used the word “business” in the question. We were told to submit it directly to the Office of Public Works, which we cannot do. It just illustrates that there is a disconnect somewhere.
Deputy Connolly, as the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, knows more about the workings of this place than I do. I have no idea as regards the wording, or otherwise, that needs to be submitted.
There is a disconnect.
The one in 100-years event the Deputy referred to is the international norm for best practice for acceptable defences that can be put in place for climate adaptation and resilience to protect communities. It is not, therefore, unusual.
I met Galway City Council’s engineers when I was down there. In six weeks, we saw four catastrophic events, Storm Debi included. It would be reckless not to feed in the data Galway City Council obtained on the night to ensure the steering group, which incorporates the OPW and Galway City Council, is satisfied that when it meets local representatives the scheme it presents will be able to defend the city should a one in 100-year event occur. If we cannot do that, knowing the energy levels of the Atlantic, it would be a futile exercise.
