Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for his question and for his courtesy when we met the delegation from Clonmel. I am acutely conscious that the closure of barracks is disruptive both for the men and women based in a particular barracks and for family members. I am under no illusion in that regard. It is disruptive and creates inconvenience and difficulty and I am conscious of that. I am also conscious that it has some economic consequences for local suppliers of individual barracks. I am simply saying that in the overall context of the experience of the closure of barracks, it does not result in wholesale movement of families from one town to another. I am advised that has not been the experience of the four barracks closures the previous Government effected in 2009.

At the end of the day, my duty as Minister for Defence is to ensure we have a Defence Force that can operate to the optimum of its capabilities and to ensure the reduced resources available to me are applied in the most efficient manner and that there is not a waste of resources. I am also very concerned, as I know the Deputy is, to ensure that we maintain, as best we can, the strength of the Defence Forces. In the early 1980s, the Defence Forces stood at 15,000. We are now just below 9,500, a figure below which I do not want us to drop. I would like us to retain 9,500 as the strength of the Defence Forces and not go below that. Until the budgetary matters are addressed, I cannot even guarantee that will be the case.

If I have a choice of maintaining barracks and buildings, which I am advised by those who are expert in these things in the Defence Forces have no strategic importance, and by retaining them having reduced numbers within the Defence Forces or if I have the alternative option of at least doing my best to maintain numbers and, as a result close barracks which have no strategic importance, I would prefer we retain the number of men and women in the Defence Forces than maintain barracks which may only be partially filled because of the reduction in numbers. This is a very serious issue.

The Deputy will appreciate that in the very detailed discussions we had with the delegation from Clonmel, they understood the dilemma I have in this context. This is an issue about which we will have to make final decisions as we go through the month of November.

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