Budget funding promised for floods

THE Government is to ring-fence money in the budget to shore up the country’s flood defences.

Junior Minister with responsibility for OPW Brian Hayes says approximately €250 million will be spent on what is being called “critical infrastructure” over the next five years.

Up to 30 separate projects are at various stages of completion so far this year, including prevention works in Mallow, Fermoy and Clonmel.

Speaking at the Irish National Flood Forum at the University of Limerick at the weekend, Mr Hayes said the Government was committed to investing in flood defences.

“We have ring-fenced a capital budget for flood defences over the next five years. And that’s a very significant achievement when one considers that over the last ten years we have spent €70 billion on capital investment and over the next five years the Government is going to be spending about €17bn because we don’t have the money,” he said.

“We will be spending, over the next five years, more than we spent in the last five years. A total of €234m was spent over the last five years. We will be spending in excess of that over the next five years and I think that’s a very significant achievement given the radical reduction in the capital programme.”

The minister said the Government was “acutely aware” of the need for this type of investment, in what he described as “critical infrastructure”.

“We have got to continue our investment in flood defences because of climate change but also because of the fact that for many years funding was not put in place and we have got to catch up in a way that other European countries have been ahead of us,” he said.

A voluntary organisation, the Irish National Flood Forum, was set up by flood victims to help and educate communities after the flooding in November and December 2009. The second annual Flood Forum, was held to coincide with the second anniversary of the November 2009 floods.