merrion street

Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Flood Relief visited Banagher, Co Offaly where works have commenced on a flood relief project at the Portavolla Estate. The works, which were approved under the OPW’s Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection scheme, are being led and managed by Offaly County Council and are being carried out by the OPW’s direct labour force. When complete this project will protect 35 houses from flooding.
The Minister said “Projects such as this one show my Office’s commitment to providing local authorities with the necessary funding to undertake very important local flood relief works. The Minor Works scheme has been very successful to date in facilitating the carrying out of a whole range of works and studies by local authorities in all parts of the country. The embankment, which will be built here, will provide flood protection and peace of mind to the residents of Portavolla.”
Minister Moran concluded, “The success of this Scheme is in the numbers - over 600 applications with a value of €38 million approved for local authorities to protect thousands of homes from flooding since 2009. The recently revised criteria of the scheme will also greatly assist authorities in addressing minor flood works and I look forward to continued collaboration with the authorities in the years ahead”.

Notes to Editors:
Background:
The Minor Works Scheme was introduced by the Office of Public Works on an administrative, non-statutory basis in 2009 following the severe flooding that year. 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.
Full details are available on www.opw.ie