Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am disgusted with the answer. The Minister wants to politicise the issue. The barracks has been empty for 12 months. I do not want to get into the nitty-gritty of going back and forth but the site is available now. Will the Minister have a meeting with himself on this? He does not meet with many other people and he treats people in deputations with distinct distaste. He does not want to meet people, as we found out when we met him in Clonmel before. Perhaps he could meet himself and put one hat on one day and another hat on another day.

This is patent nonsense. He owns the site; the last Government did not own the site. I have no problems with being a part of the last Government - I accept it - but there is a vacant site now and it is owned by the Minister for Defence, who is also the Minister for Justice and Equality. It is clear there is a conflict here. He cannot handle either side and does not know what way to move. He should bring in the OPW, which is also involved. We need a Garda station and the site is there. The money must go back to the Department of Defence but we need a Garda station. The Minister should be proactive for once in a public position, instead of being so proactive in many other ways. I also ask him not to be so political.

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