Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 April 2026
463. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide an update on the technical assessment to identify potential flood mitigation works for areas (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28629/26]
View answerThrough the Catchment-based Flood Risk Assessment and Management Programme (CFRAM), the largest study of flood risk was completed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in 2018. This studied the flood risk for two-thirds of the population against the risk of flooding from rivers and the sea. The Government’s Flood Risk Management Plans, an output of CFRAM, provided the evidence for a proactive approach to designing and constructing flood relief schemes for the most at-risk communities. Investment of €1.3 billion through the National Development Plan has allowed the OPW, since 2018, to treble the number of flood relief schemes at design, planning, or construction to some 100 schemes.
Across Cork City and County, nine flood relief schemes have been completed to date providing protection to 1,750 properties.
Under the National Development Plan, the OPW is currently providing funding to Cork County Council for nine staff to deliver all 15 additional flood relief schemes across their area of remit. Six of these are Tranche 1 schemes, which are underway at this time. Under the national programme, work has yet to commence on Tranche 2 flood relief schemes, including Castlemartyr.
Under the OPW's Review of the National Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment, which was published in May 2025, the Castlemartyr Area of Potentially Significant Flood Risk has been extended to include the villlage of Mogeely to provide for an efficient assessment of the risk and potential mitigation options for these communities. Reflecting this, Cork County Council are directly progressing interim flood mitigation measures in respect of Castlemartyr and Mogeely through public procurement.
Since 2009, under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme, the OPW has approved some €7.4 million funding to Cork County Council for some 57 projects, including projects for Castlemartyr and Mogeely. Under the scheme, it is the responsibility of the local authority to advance the works, once approved by the OPW. This includes all environmental assessments, planning consents, health and safety requirements and landowner agreements. Projects approved to date are available to view through www.floodinfo.ie/minor-works/.
The OPW is piloting a new delivery model for flood relief schemes through four Tranche 2 schemes in counties Kilkenny and Donegal, which is referred to as the Tranche 2 Pilot. There are two Tranche 2 Pilot schemes in County Kilkenny (Freshford and Piltown) and two schemes in County Donegal (Donegal Town and Letterkenny). The Tranche 2 Pilot is transferring the management of data gathering, as a first step in designing a scheme, from consultant engineers for a single scheme to the local authorities for all schemes in the Pilot. The Pilot means that data gathering, where feasible, may be scaled up from individual communities to all schemes in a county. The Pilot will better inform the prioritisation of future schemes nationally and the scope of services required from consultants to design and facilitate construction of flood relief schemes.
