The Office of Public Works will have completed within the next 18 months maps of all the flood plains in the country.
According to the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, these maps will be available to all planners in local authorities who are making decisions on planning applications.
Mr Tom Parlon yesterday said the "flood hazard maps" would incorporate local information and knowledge which engineers and developers might not be aware of.
He believed the development of two housing estates "on the banks of the Castle river" had been a factor in the flooding of homes in Dunboyne in south Meath last November.
Mr Parlon was speaking in Co Meath, where he saw some of the remedial works under way to prevent a repetition of the serious flooding which affected both Dunboyne and Clonee.
"There is no question about it," he said, "if you develop close to a river you will interfere with the flood plain."
A report commissioned by Meath County Council identified €7 million worth of measures, including some emergency measures costing €4 million, which needed to be undertaken immediately.
However, the report attributed the severe flooding, which damaged more than 100 homes and business premises, "to the largest flood recorded in the River Tolka in memory".
The Tolka flows through both villages and the Castle River, which also flows through Dunboyne, empties into the Tolka.
The floods last November 15th came after two days of heavy rainfall and similar heavy rain the previous week. This had all contributed to the damage.
Mr Parlon met councillors from the south Meath area.
A council spokesman said: "We are pleased with the commitment we got from the Minister and his officials that they will continue with [remedial\] works."
The OPW has already started to clean the two rivers.