The Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) has announced detail of a programme of major capital works for 2012.

Brian Hayes TD said: "I very much welcome the allocation by the Government of €45 million per annum for flood risk management and mitigation in the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Medium Term Exchequer Framework for the period 2012-2016. The total allocation of €225 million for capital flood relief measures over the 5-year period of the framework is greater than the total spent on such measures in the past 10 years. This allocation is additional to the related current expenditure provision for maintenance by the OPW of completed arterial drainage schemes and collection of flood flow data, for which €17m has been provided in 2012.

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"My Office will continue to operate in 2012 the Minor Flood Mitigation and Coastal Erosion Works scheme under which local authorities can apply for funding for small scale measures to address localised flooding and erosion problems in their areas."

(CD)