197 Deputy John O’Donoghue asked the Minister for Finance the work that has been undertaken by the Office of Public Works to prevent coastal erosion on or near Inch Strand, County Kerry; if the office has undertaken recent inspections on the work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3609/11]

The Office of Public Works has not carried out any works at Inch Strand to prevent coastal erosion and has not carried out any inspections in the area.

Coastal protection works would normally be undertaken by the relevant Local Authority. Kerry County Council has carried out works at Inch Strand in recent years with the assistance of funding from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. In 2010 the Council submitted an application in respect of works at Inch Strand under the OPW Minor Flood and Coastal Protection Works scheme. The application was not successful because the scale of the proposed works exceeded the scope of projects that qualify for funding from the scheme.