Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 February 2024
118. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the funding available to Monaghan County Council for flood relief projects under Budget 2024. [5754/24]
View answerThe Government has committed €1.3 billion to the delivery of flood relief schemes over the lifetime of the National Development Plan 2021 – 2030 for flood relief measures. In Budget 2024 the Office of Public Works, (OPW), was allocated just under €645 million of which approximately €140 million has been assigned for Climate Responsive Flood Risk Management which is sufficient to meet the current needs of this area.
Since 2018, as part of a phased approach to scheme delivery, this funding has allowed the OPW in partnership with local authorities throughout the country, to treble the number of schemes at design, planning and construction stages to some 100 schemes at this time.
There are three proposed Flood Relief Schemes identified for County Monaghan; Ballybay, Inishkeen and Monaghan, as part of the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. The CFRAM Programme was the largest ever flood risk study carried out in the State and culminated with the launch in 2018 of 29 flood risk management plans which propose 118 new outline flood relief projects.
Given the highly specialised market for designing flood relief schemes it is not possible to progress all proposed new schemes at once. The proposed schemes in County Monaghan are not in the first tranche of projects to be progressed and the OPW continue to liaise with Monaghan County Council to ensure that the programme of flood relief projects identified for Monaghan is kept under review, and that all projects will be commenced within the timeframe for the National Development Plan.
The pilot for four Tranche II Schemes in County Kilkenny and County Donegal, which I announced in May 2023, is in response to engagement between OPW and local authorities to agree a planned national approach to future schemes that matches return on investment from the available capacity in the local authorities and the OPW. Consequently, a new delivery model for flood relief schemes is being piloted which will better inform the future Tranche II schemes' delivery which includes the proposed schemes in Co. Monaghan.
In the interim it is open to Monaghan County Council to make an application under the OPW’s Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised fluvial flooding.
This scheme was introduced by the OPW on an administrative, non-statutory basis in 2009. The purpose of the scheme is to provide funding to Local Authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised fluvial flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative areas. The scheme generally applies where a solution can be readily identified and achieved in a short time frame. The works to be funded are carried out under Local Authority powers and ongoing maintenance of the completed works is the responsibility of the Council.
Since 2009, OPW has approved funding under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme of circa €2.5 million to County Monaghan for some 27 projects.
