Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

While I do not have the information to hand, I will get the complete up-to-date position for the Deputy in regard to the plans for barracks that are closed, the maintenance costs and so on. During the last period of barrack consolidation, we made some facilities available to local communities, as the Deputy is aware. Times are tougher now and most of those properties will be sold off by public tender. However, we have the right to allocate them directly to communities or to other State organisations if we so wish. All I can tell the House is that I will consider any proposal that comes in, and I will do so as sympathetically as possible within the constraints upon us.

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