Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. At this time, it would be a retrograde step to contemplate further closures of barracks in towns that are already suffering from intense distress brought on by rising unemployment and emigration. This is not the time to compound that suffering with closures which to all intents and purposes are the equivalent of closing medium sized factories.

Before addressing the motion, I wish to point out a technical issue. The Fianna Fáil motion refers to Defence Forces barracks across Ireland and calls on the Minister for Defence not to close any further barracks. There are a number of barracks in the north east which I would not mind having closed but I do not believe even the Minister has the power to close them. He might work on that. We have been campaigning for years to have some of them closed in the Six Counties, which is part of Ireland, believe it or not, as it consists of all Thirty-two Counties, not Twenty-six Counties and certainly not Twenty-two. That aside, we welcome the spirit of the motion, which we will support.

Sinn Féin is opposed to any further closure or consolidation of Defence Forces barracks and any possible further reduction in personnel at this time. The closure of these barracks would lead to a greater property portfolio for the State, which I am sure the Troika would be more than happy to see. Given the distressed state of the market, however, we would be unable to sell any of this property and, even if we did, we would certainly not get value for money.

I have already alluded to the detrimental consequences of removing Defence Forces personnel and their families from some of the areas referred to in the motion. The vast majority of these personnel are an important and integral part of the local community as well as serving in the Defence Forces. They and their families contribute millions of euro to the local economy each year and any closure or further consolidation would depress those local economies which are already suffering from this Government's failure to create jobs.

The Defence Forces are a vital component of our emergency services, as was shown by their expert work during the recent weather conditions. As Deputy Dara Murphy, my colleague in Cork North-Central, pointed out, during the recent flooding of Cork the Defence Forces came to the fore and the skill and expertise with which they handled that issue and the way they interacted with local communities was to be welcomed. For that type of reason, it is an advantage to have a spread of such expertise throughout the State, in particular given the changing weather conditions and the possibility of further floods.

While the Government stated that no decision has been made in regard to future closures or consolidation, everyone knows it is on the agenda and is being actively considered. The Minister himself has repeatedly refused to rule out closures or further consolidation, although that is not a criticism as I would much prefer a Minister to at least say something is either in or out rather than say one thing and then do another, as previous Governments have done.

As the Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Deputy Paul Kehoe, is present, I note he recently said in regard to Columb Barracks in Mullingar that the dispersal of Defence Forces personnel over an extended number of locations continues to be a major impediment to essential collective training and the releasing of personnel for operational duties. I have not seen any evidence to support this assertion. If it exists, I ask the Minister of State or the Minister for Defence to furnish me with the information so we can make an informed decision when this matter comes before the House.

Given the statement from the Minister earlier and the statements of some other Deputies, there is no doubt there is disquiet on all sides on this issue. It is time clarity was brought to the matter. A review of public expenditure is underway, which I am sure will form some basis in regard to reaching a decision. However, it is important the Minister makes a decision on this issue as soon as possible to provide clarity for those families.

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