Deputy McGrath raised the issue at a meeting with the OPW and said that based on the plans they had seen for the Cork flood relief scheme, the proposed works would not reduce the risk of flooding sufficiently to allow them to provide flood cover to households and businesses in Cork City.
Deputy McGrath said: "I raised this issue directly with the OPW and I emphasised the need for the planned scheme to satisfy the concerns of the insurance sector so that flood cover can be reinstated to businesses and households.
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"It is essential that homes and businesses in Cork City can access flood insurance cover at a reasonable cost as quickly as possible. The present situation is completely unsustainable with so many families and business owners are exposed to massive risk.
"The Director of Engineering at the OPW, Tony Smith, assured me that it was engaging with the insurance sector to address these issues. I advised the OPW that flood cover was now increasingly difficult to get, even for residents living well outside the city centre and that this issue needs to be dealt with as part of the flood relief scheme.
"In terms of the overall timeframe for the scheme, I was advised that the statutory exhibition will take place in Spring 2015. It is hoped that the detailed design can then be completed in the subsequent months and that civil works will begin in 2016. The OPW estimated today that the works will take 4-5 years to complete."
(CD/JP)
