2026-02-12

6. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the extent of any engagement his Department and the Office of Public Works have had with Dublin City Council in relation to flood risk, coastal overtopping and storm surge impacts in Clontarf following recent flooding incidents; whether the Office of Public Works has carried out or plans to carry out assessments of existing coastal defences and flood mitigation measures in the area; the interim or longer term flood defence measures under consideration; the way in which such works would be funded and prioritised within the national flood relief programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11103/26]

I have a question for the Minister of State on the engagement his Department and the Office of Public Works have had with Dublin City Council in relation to flood risk in north Dublin, coastal overtopping and storm surge impacts. We all saw the devastation that occurred last week. I thank the Minister of State for the work he did in Portrane to protect houses. Houses on the Hole in the Wall beach are at risk. I would love the same scheme to be rolled out there. How will flood defence works in north Dublin be funded and prioritised in the national flood relief programme?

I have witnessed first-hand the impact of flooding and the devastation it causes to homes, businesses and local communities. I am very familiar with the flood risk in Clontarf, having visited the area and met with local representatives, businesses and the community in May and October of last year. As the Deputy is aware, Dublin City Council received planning consent for a flood relief scheme for Clontarf. However, the scheme did not progress to construction. The OPW is engaging with Dublin City Council to progress the design of the flood relief scheme for Clontarf. The assessment of the recent flooding is informing the development of scope of service for the appointment of engineering and environmental consultants and will also inform the design of the flood relief scheme for Clontarf. The scheme will be designed to protect against a one-in-200-years coastal event and meet the requirements of Insurance Ireland. Dublin City Council is leading the Clontarf flood relief scheme. The council and the OPW are engaging on the development of tender documents for the appointment of engineering and environmental consultants. Progressing a viable flood relief scheme for Clontarf is to be funded by the OPW, through funding for flood relief under the national development plan. Pending the design and completion of a permanent scheme, last year I prioritised the replacement of temporary sandbag structures along the promenade. In May, I met businesses and the local community to listen to their concerns regarding the appearance of the sandbags. My office worked with Dublin City Council on feasible alternatives, which I discussed with the local community, when I visited last October. This meeting facilitated the agreement for the replacement of the sandbags with interlocking barriers as a temporary measure. Dublin City Council has advised that over 300 m of the interlocking barriers have been successfully installed on the Alfie Byrne Road. Work will be completed in the coming weeks.

I again thank the Minister of State. To have him in the constituency I represent three times in the first nine months of the Government's term was like Christmas coming early. I thank him for that. They call me Mr. Sandman now for getting rid of the sandbags. I want to sincerely thank the Minister of State for his engagement. The two recent flooding incidents have exposed the scale and urgency of the work that is needed. The Minister of State indicated that planning was granted for flood defences. I have clarified in the House before, and will do so again now, that there was a proposal for a berm for the north city arterial main, NCAM, project running down the promenade that would have been covered in muck. It would have been joined. Anyone who is elderly, vulnerable or with additional needs would not have been seen on the promenade. The promenade is used by many people in north Dublin. A flood defence is very much needed there. The work proposed was going to be the same, and there would have been a secondary wall. In the context of the demonstrations the Minister of State has shown me, we know that if the second wall had been in put in place, it would not have acted as a catchment area. I look forward to engagement on increasing the height of the secondary wall adjacent to the cycle lane or for an additional mountable wall to be built. There is a wall there which is 100 years old and which has mountables in it. It is important that the work is done.

I love the drive of the Deputy when it comes to this matter. He might be a colleague of mine, but if I could get every colleague in the House to go to their local authorities, drive schemes and develop the interim solutions such as those the Deputy is working on in Clontarf, I would be very grateful. We come into the House and blame the OPW and everybody else, but public representatives have a huge part to play in delivering by pushing local authorities. I fund local authorities in the context of staff, and I need them to drive schemes forward. Regarding Clontarf, I have changed the funding limit for the minor works scheme from €750,000 to €2 million. That will allow the local authority to develop more interim solutions. The Deputy and councillors have invited me to a meeting, which I look forward to attending in due course, to determine how we can deal with this, what we can do in the interim - we did the same thing last year - and whether we can do more.

I appreciate that. The Minister of State has agreed to meet Councillor Kevin Breen and other local representatives. I have attended meetings with him and the OPW. It is amazing to see what happens. If every Minister of State was like him, we would get a lot more done. I thank the Minister of State for agreeing to meet all of the other Dublin Bay North Deputies in the coming weeks to discuss Northern Cross. That is something that needs to be progressed. The work in Clontarf needs to be done immediately. We objected to the flood wall and the berm. It needs to be said that those would have removed everything. People always say we lowered the wall. The wall was lowered down at St. Anne's Park. It is a completely different wall. That needs to be said because it is constantly stated that people in north Dublin did not want flood defences. We need to build a wall, and we need to make the southside pay for it.

I will work with the Deputy and with the local authorities. He referred to on Portrane, which is another prime example of interim measures. This is the first time we have ever obtained a MARA licence to allow us to do work on the coast. That should happen in respect of areas all around the coast of Ireland. Other local authorities that have issues with coastal flooding should look at what was done in Portrane and, in the context of the MARA licence, deliver more critical infrastructure to protect communities. I look forward to engaging with the Deputy, his colleagues and the local authority. When a scheme that meets the criteria comes before me, I have never been found wanting. We have always engaged with local authorities to do the best thing for communities. While we all talk about the delivery of long-term projects, which is the overall large scheme, a lot can be done in the interim. That is something on which I have put a huge focus over the course of last year. That is why I made the changes to delivery. I want to continue that work, but I need help from everybody in the House to drive those projects forward. That is very important.