Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I am taking this Adjournment debate matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Law Reform, Deputy Dermot Ahern. I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this matter on the Adjournment.

With regard to Garda accommodation generally, the position is that the provision of Garda requirements is progressed by the Office of Public Works, on the basis of priorities established by An Garda Síochána. In that context, capital expenditure on Garda accommodation, including all site purchases and new buildings, and the examination of potential sites for the location of Garda stations, comes under the remit of the Office of Public Works. That office has overall responsibility for the provision and maintenance of Garda accommodation.

The Minister for Justice and Law Reform has been informed that the Office of Public Works has been engaged for some time in a process of identifying a suitable site for the construction of a new Garda divisional headquarters in Tralee. In addition, the Minister has been advised by the Office of Public Works that, despite repeated efforts, no suitable privately-owned sites have been identified in Tralee.

As a consequence, the Office of Public Works has subsequently concentrated on the possibility of State-owned property being made available. In particular, it has indicated that a Department of Defence-owned site has been identified as being potentially suitable to meet the accommodation needs of a number of State agencies, including An Garda Síochána.

I understand that the Deputy is aware of the situation and that, in fact, he has put down a written parliamentary question on this specific matter, which was answered by the Minister for Defence earlier today. The Deputy will appreciate from the reply provided to his question, that the Minister for Defence is of the view that military property should be disposed of on a fully commercial basis. In that regard, the funding realised would be used to provide resources to meet the current and future equipment and infrastructure needs of the Defence Forces.

The Office of Public Works has reported that it has been engaged in ongoing negotiations to secure the Department of Defence property in Tralee. The Minister for Justice and Law Reform has confirmed that this is a process he fully supports. In addition, the Minister has indicated that he and his Department will work with the other relevant parties to bring the process to a successful conclusion as quickly as possible.

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