Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

One of the first things I received when I came into the Ministry of Defence was a request from the military to close further barracks on the basis that peace had arrived in Northern Ireland and there was no justification for seven Border posts. The British were already in the process of beginning to close their Border posts. The point was very forcefully made to me about the necessity for consolidated training. The missions we take on are more and more dangerous so it is important for troop safety that they train together. That was a consideration and there was also a cost element. I resisted the pressure from the military for quite some time but in the new economic environment I have had to look anew at what they said. Deputy O'Shea is correct that I had to achieve savings in the Department of Defence, like the other Departments. I could not have achieved these savings with the number of barracks we have, four of which are due to be closed.

The approximate estimated value of the four barracks is €21 million. For commercial reasons, I do not want to give the individual figures for each barracks. We have done a detailed cost-benefit analysis on the situation and over the next three years we estimate the change of station allowances, the cost of transport for 18 months, security in the closed barracks and all the other costs we will meet will come to approximately €23.5 million less than what we will save through recurrent savings on maintenance, administration, utilities, etc., and the potential value of the property we are getting back. That cost-benefit analysis is being given to the Comptroller and Auditor General or the Committee of Public Accounts — I am not sure which — and will appear in the public domain in the very near future.

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