Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. One of the downsides of my new job is that I am no longer a member of the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which he has expertly chaired for the past two years. The Minister for Defence has asked me to convey his regrets at being unavailable to take this Adjournment matter in person. However, he is grateful to the Deputy for giving him the opportunity to address the misleading impression given by media reports this morning regarding potential barrack closures.

As he has advised the House on many occasions the closure of barracks and the consolidation of the Defence Forces into a smaller number of locations is a key objective of the White Paper on defence. The dispersal of personnel over an extended number of locations is an impediment to essential collective training and imposes increased and unnecessary overheads on the Defence Forces in terms of barrack management, administration, maintenance and security. The consolidation process is designed to facilitate higher training standards while also freeing under utilised resources and personnel for operational duties.

The funding previously realised from the disposal of surplus barracks and properties has, together with pay savings, provided some of the resources required for infrastructure, training development and equipment procurement. In this regard, the White Paper states that the Government's decisions are based on its recognition of the necessity to enhance the equipment and infrastructure available to the Defence Forces. It is the Minister's intention that the funding realised from the disposal of recently closed barracks will provide further funding for the ongoing re-equipment and modernisation of the Defence Forces.

The development and increased capability of the Defence Forces, together with the improved security situation along the Border, removed the rationale for seven barracks and posts in Border areas and provided the opportunity for consolidating units in fewer locations. In framing the 2009 budget the Government, therefore, decided to reduce the number of Army barracks to bring them into line with the operational requirements of the Defence Forces and achieve economies of scale. As a result, the seven barracks along the Border were consolidated into three posts.

This morning's article suggested that further closures are on the way. This is a complete misrepresentation of the current position and the documents provided by the Department of Defence under a freedom of information request. If anything, the manner in which the issue was reported is contrary to the purpose of the Freedom of Information Act, which is designed to inform rather than misinform the public on policy issues. The documents in question were prepared in the context of the 2008 budget and include a memorandum from the Defence Forces' strategic planning office from January 2008. These documents set out a range of possible options on barrack closures for consideration by the Minister for Defence and the Government.

Having considered the matter, the Government agreed in the context of the budget to announce the closure of four barracks, namely, Longford, Rockhill, Lifford and Monaghan. As the Deputy will appreciate and as the Minister has previously stated, the decision was based on the particular requirements in the Border region given the changed security situation arising from the Good Friday Agreement dispensation.

The Government has made no decision on other barracks nor are further closures under active consideration by the Minister or the Government at this time. The Government and the Minister must take cognisance of the requirements of the Defence Forces and ensure on an ongoing basis that the overall organisation and deployment of Defence Forces personnel across the country fully supports the ongoing professional development and training of our Defence Forces. While the Department and the Defence Forces continually review requirements relating to barracks, infrastructure and other military installations, it is important that the most recent changes be given the opportunity to bed down. Contrary to media reports this morning, there are no plans for further barrack closures.

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