Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

These closures will have potential savings of just over €1 million in direct costs and what the Minister of State defined as an efficiency gain, for which there is no way of quantifying, of €5 million. The costs of moving the barracks and personnel, on the other hand, will involve €4 million in capital costs required in the other barracks. An allowance for soldiers to move will come to €700,000. This does not include the security costs which I appreciate the Minister of State cannot give in his reply. In the long term, this will come to more than the so-called anticipated efficiencies.

Have any other potential uses for the properties in Cavan, Mullingar, Clonmel and Castlebar been identified? Has the Department been in touch with local authorities in identifying the sites for, say, community uses or as enterprise centres?

What is the timeline for the closure of the barracks in question? Dún Uí Néill in Cavan, Columb in Mullingar and Kickham in Clonmel were worth €22 million combined to their three towns. Of this amount, how much does the Department estimate will be lost to the three towns in question?

See this speech in context