2026-02-12

3. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to give an update on flood relief schemes; and on the underspend within the allocation to the National Flood Forecasting Warning Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11569/26]

Will the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran, provide an honest update on flood relief schemes across the State? As we know, the catchment-based flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, report, which carried out an evaluation of the entire State, identified 150 schemes. This was announced back in 2018 with huge fanfare. A total of 150 new schemes were going to be delivered. I note the Government keeps referring to schemes that have been delivered, including schemes that were delivered when I was a teenager. I do not want that information. I want to know how many of those 150 new schemes have been delivered to date.

To identify communities that are at risk from significant flood events, the OPW completed the largest study of flood risk ever undertaken by the State in 2018. The OPW catchment-based flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, programme was undertaken by engineers and consultants on behalf of the OPW, working in partnership with the local authorities. The CFRAM programme studied 80% of Ireland’s primary flood risk and identified solutions that can protect over 95% of those at risk. A series of 29 flood risk management plans were launched in May 2018, providing the evidence base for required flood relief schemes. These plans are available on www.floodinfo.ie. The Government has committed €715 million to the delivery of these flood relief schemes under the National Development Plan 2026-2030. Since 2018, as part of a phased approach to scheme delivery, the funding has allowed the OPW to treble the number of flood relief schemes at design, planning or construction stage to some 100 schemes. Today, work to protect 80% of all at-risk properties nationally is completed or under way. The first tranche of new schemes identified in the flood risk management plans includes some 60 schemes that were prioritised, along with schemes already under way. The prioritisation of the first tranche of schemes was based on three criteria, namely, scale of projects, capacity to deliver the national development programme and the maximisation of return for investment in respect of property numbers. Flood relief schemes are complex, multi-annual civil engineering projects and take some 11 years to deliver, which include bringing a scheme through development, planning, design, procurement and construction. The current position with regard to flood relief schemes is as follows: the OPW has invested some €580 million in 56 completed schemes that are providing protection to some 13,580 properties. The economic benefit to the State from loss avoided is estimated to be in the region of €2 billion. There are currently ten relief schemes that will protect over 2,800 properties on completion.

We have a serious problem here. I note that the Minister of State mentioned the 13,500 properties that are protected but the Dáil was told the same number of properties were protected in 2023. The fact is that we have not protected a single additional property since. The numbers have not changed in the past couple of years. According to the Government's website, I think 143 or 144 schemes were identified eight years ago and still have not been completed. I know that nothing can be done overnight and the Government continues to reach to judicial reviews and all the rest but large numbers of those schemes have not even gone to design stage, let alone planning stage. There is a serious issue with the delivery of schemes within the State. The other part of the question related to the allocation for the national flood forecasting and warning service between 2020 and 2024. We are ten years on and this still has not been delivered. I heard the Minister, Deputy Chambers, talk about allocations and all the rest. We are ten years on and still do not have a system in place. There are serious problems within the Department.

I will bring the Deputy back to 2018, when I took up this role in the OPW. The first task I had was to travel the country. Many local authorities would not sign up to catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM. It was a master plan for delivering flood defence for the whole country. Having achieved that in the first couple of months in my role, I then had to go and get investment. With the Minister at the time, Paschal Donohoe, I fought tooth and nail to get €1 billion. That was the start of delivering schemes, in my eyes, for the people of the country. The master plan set out the areas that are hugely affected by flooding in the Deputy's area, my area and every other area in the country. The Government then backed that with money. We now have ten schemes at various different stages. Some are very close to completion. More schemes are being developed every day. Since I returned to this position, I have changed the criteria for the minor works scheme. The budget has increased from €750,000 to €2 million. I brought about changes to give the local authorities staff to try to drive on these schemes. I have changed how we deliver these schemes through the minor works system. The schemes are an important part of delivering.

I appreciate what the Minister of State is saying. I also appreciate that the Minister of State was not in office during the eight years I am talking about. However, his Cabinet colleagues were. We lost a lot of time when no schemes were delivered. That is the problem. In 2024, three schemes were supposed to be delivered but none were. I want to go back to the national flood forecasting and warning service. Less than €6 million of the nearly €20 million allocated has been delivered. As I said, this is a project that has been going on for ten years now. The Government agreed to establish the national flood forecasting and warning service. In the meantime, only one stage of the plan has been delivered, meaning we are currently stuck with an out-of-date and inaccurate warning system that does not even take ground conditions into account. Communities have been failed by the Government's lethargic approach to delivering a comprehensive and modern flood forecasting and warning service. I know the Minister of State was not in government during this period but his colleague, the Minister, was. He was on national radio talking about allocations and all the rest. The people who were flooded do not give a rat's about that. I will not say what I was going to say. They want the Government to deliver. They cannot understand. This was to be announced ten years ago. Money is not being provided. The delivery of this service is not there. It is not good enough.

The Deputy said that no schemes have been delivered. Ongoing work is being done on schemes. We are protecting communities. We are giving the resources to local authorities to drive on the schemes. The Deputy knows that. I have worked with local authorities to push on schemes. With regard to the national forecasting and warning service, I understand that the unspent money the Deputy is referring to relates to the flood forecasting centre in Met Éireann and, as such, would be a matter for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Separately, the OPW made a once-off contribution of €871,000 to Met Éireann to support the establishment of the flood forecasting centre in Met Éireann. This funding supported the set-up costs of staffing, ICT, accommodation and procurement of relevant studies, services and expertise to develop hydrological models and staff capacity. The final element of the contribution was paid to Met Éireann in November 2023. The money may have been sent back but work is still going on to provide and bring this service that the people of Ireland want.

It has been ten years and we do not have it.

We, in government, are fully committed to delivering that service. My job, as Minister of State, is to protect communities and that is what I set out to do. I continue to work to do that.