Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I will start with the Deputy's last question. I can confirm that there will not be barracks closures based on the reorganisation.

With regard to the Deputy's other questions, I do not want to pre-empt or prejudge the outcome of the process that is underway and in which the Secretary General of my Department, the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces and officials of my Department and supports of the Chief of Staff are engaged. They are looking at the overall structure of the Defence Forces and how best to organise matters to maximise capabilities and operational effectiveness. That will involve looking at how the Defence Forces are currently structured, the numbers required at officer level and the importance of maximising available financial resources to ensure that we have the required number of troops on the ground and that there is not a disproportion between officers and other ranks. These are all issues for careful concern. Hard work is going on in the background to deal with this matter in a constructive and progressive way. I look forward to the completion of that work.

I do not want to be definitive with regard to timescales as given the complexity of this issue timeframes may not be exactly complied with. I hope the reorganisation structures and architecture will be agreed before the end of this year, that we will start along the road to implementation and that real change will be seen to be taking place by early next year. The programme and the manner in which the reorganisation is to be put in place will become known as we go further through the year. In another eight weeks or so, I should have a clearer view of the exact timeframe by which I would expect to have the final report from the process that is now under way.

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