Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 November 2023
34. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to provide an update on the flood relief scheme for Crossmolina, County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52367/23]
View answerThis question relates to flooding in Crossmolina. I know the Minister of State is familiar with the town. I have raised the issue with him a number of times. Will the Minister of State provide an update on the flood relief scheme for Crossmolina? People have seen damage to their homes and lives, just like the businesses in Cork, Galway and other places. They remember the destruction the community faced in 2015. When will construction commence on the River Deel flood relief scheme?
Although this question is about flooding, it is not for my colleague, Deputy O'Donovan, to answer because it is a question for the consenting authority, who is the Minister, Deputy Donohoe.
I refer to previous updates on this matter given to the House regarding the consent process for the River Deel flood relief scheme, prepared by the Office of Public Works under the Arterial Drainage Acts. The Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform is the consenting authority for flood relief schemes, which are prepared by the Office of Public Works under the Arterial Drainage Acts. In accordance with the European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Arterial Drainage) Regulations 2019, the OPW has sought consent for the River Deel flood relief scheme. The regulations mandate that, as the consenting authority, the Minister undertake an independent assessment of the environmental impact statement for the Crossmolina flood relief scheme. Section 7E(4) of the European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Arterial Drainage) Regulations 2019 provides that there is access to sufficient expertise to examine an environmental impact assessment report submitted by OPW. In accordance with these requirements, the Department has appointed independent environmental consultants to review submissions received during the periods of public consultation and to carry out any necessary environmental assessments as required by EU directives. Following the initial period of public consultation, held between 1 December 2020 and 11 January 2021, the Department sought additional information regarding the scheme from the OPW, as provided for under Section 7(4)(b) of the European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Arterial Drainage) Regulations 2019. In July 2021, the Office of Public Works submitted this information to the Department. A second period of public consultation was then held, as legally required when supplementary information of this type is received. That began on 6 May 2022 and finished on 1 July 2022. The environmental experts retained by the Department then examined the information received and recommended that, in order to reach a full, reasoned conclusion of the environmental impacts of the scheme, additional supplementary information should be sought. This supplementary information was requested from the OPW in July this year. The OPW supplied this supplementary information to the Department on 17 November and it is currently being examined, as required by the regulations.
I know the Minister of State will agree that this has gone on for far too long. He referred to 17 November. I was told this scheme would start this year. Going forward, from 17 November, with the full information being there, when will it be signed off? When will construction start? There needs to be clear communication with the people of Crossmolina. The Minister of State knows what happened there in 2015 and that they have been watching the floods happening all over the country in recent weeks. Businesses have stocked up for Christmas and they are scared of their lives that they will lose all their stock. Many of them do not have insurance because of what happened before. The stress of all of this on top of everything else is too much for businesses to bear. When will construction begin?
I appreciate and understand the feelings of Deputy Conway-Walsh's constituents on this matter. It has taken a long time to reach consent for this scheme because it is such a large scheme and has to be done under the Arterial Drainage Act. We have to follow the law. The role the Minister is playing is similar to the role of An Bord Pleanála. We are at the stage, having received final reports from the OPW, that those reports need to be assessed by ecological experts and outside consultants. That is required by law. They have been hired. Work will take several months to complete. When I have further updates for the Deputy I will make sure they are sent to her directly. I understand, from the point of view of her constituents, that this is causing stress and it needs to happen as soon as possible. It also needs to happen in line with the law.
I completely understand that but we are standing here after 11 p.m. on a Tuesday eight years after that flooding happened.
I was told early this year that it would start before the end of the year. Why was I given that information when I am now being told it will take several more months. It is extremely difficult for people to understand that the pillars are being moved all of the time. If the Minister of State is now saying it will take several months, will we still be in a situation where we are asking if it is even going to happen in 2024? We are then talking about a four year project, if it will be 48 months from then, and it will be 2030 before this happens. It is wholly unacceptable. I will be honest. If this were on this side of the country, where we are now, I do not think we would be waiting eight years for it. It is not acceptable. If it is not acceptable for here or anywhere else, it is not acceptable for Crossmolina.
I agree it takes too long to reach decisions on these schemes. It is similar to a planning application. An application is made, and there is a period of time for submissions and public consultation. If additional information is required, we have to go back out, take submissions and listen to the public again. When the public consultation periods and additional information are over, the application has to considered by experts. That is required by the law. The reason we have to stick to the law is he recent experience with the River Bride scheme in Blackpool, County Cork. This decision was made by the Minister, but was challenged in the second half of 2021 by judicial review. This necessitated a pause in reaching a ministerial decision on Crossmolina to consider the legal arguments and associated impact on the confirmation process. The Department ultimately conceded on the single ground relating to public consultation procedures in January 2022. We do not want to see that happen again in Crossmolina. We do not want to see a judicial review happen. We need to make sure we take into account the lessons from the last scheme in Blackpool so it does not happen again in Crossmolina.
