Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy should know, the authorities within the defence family have sought to deal with people in an appropriate way in the context of the legal obligations which those individuals have. Is the Deputy suggesting that people who cease being members of the Defence Forces should not comply with legal obligations and vacate a property. It was known that these properties would not be available when a person ceases to be a member of the Defence Forces.

I assure the Deputy that individuals in difficult circumstances have been and will continue to be dealt with in a humane way but the Defence Forces and the State cannot simply hand over these properties to individuals. The people in question do not own these properties, which lie with the State, and they are obliged to vacate this accommodation unless one ignores the reality of the legal position. That would be entirely inappropriate.

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