Minister Seán Canney, Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief today received the Dutch Peer Review Report on Irish Flood Risk Management from Mr. Paul Schellekens, Dutch Ambassador to Ireland.

The independent peer review was carried out by the Dutch Risk Reduction Team of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment of the Netherlands to validate the approach to flood risk management policy in Ireland. It was carried out at a high-level and examined broad policy, strategy and financial issues, with comparison made to international approaches and safety standards, and took into account statutory requirements and contexts.

Minister Canney said “I am delighted to receive this report from Ambassador Schellekens today. This is a very valuable and comprehensive piece of work that was conducted independently by Dutch experts in the field of flood risk management. The Report has reviewed Irish Flood Risk Management, benchmarked it with international best practice, and provides strategic direction for the future of flood risk management in Ireland which will inform the Catchment Assessment and Management Programme (CFRAM). It also acts as confirmation of the process undertaken to date”.

Ambassador Schellekens said “I am delighted to present this Report to Minister Canney today. The Netherlands has significant experience and expertise in flood risk management and we were delighted when the Irish Government asked us to carry out a review of flood risk management in Ireland. I would like to congratulate the Dutch Risk Reduction team on their comprehensive review of the Irish approach to flood risk management and I look forward to the implementation of the Report’s recommendations by the Irish Government.”

The Report identifies that there are further opportunities to improve Irish flood risk management through increasing investment in flood protection, implementation of a national flood forecasting system, strengthening an integral system approach to flood risk management and including coastal erosion risk in an integrated flood risk management plan.

The Minister went on to say “We are already making significant progress in implementing these recommendations with €430 million being invested in flood risk management works in 2016-2021, the CFRAM Programme is progressing and the implementation of a flood forecasting and warning system has been agreed by Government. The Inter-Departmental Flood Policy Co-ordination Group which I chair is co-ordinating policies and measures in the provision of a whole of Government Response to flood risk management”.