The steering group established to oversee the national coordination of flood risk management and flooding response (CFRAM) programme did not meet for a period of four years according to a report from the Comptroller and Auditor General.

It met regularly at the start of the process, but did not meet at all during a four-year period up to November 2014. Upon failing to meet the March deadline for the CFRAM report, the OPW has indicated that it will have a plan by the end of 2016.

Regular incidents

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IFA flood project chair Tom Turley said this level of inaction is unacceptable at a time when flooding incidents are becoming more regular and CFRAM targets have already been missed.

From 2005 to 2014, there was €329m in capital expenditure on flood risk management.

A €430m six-year programme of capital investment was announced last September as part of the Government’s overall capital investment plan 2016-2021.