Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is wrong again. In County Kildare, for example, when my party was in government and when we had the control of the local authority, we operated a policy whereby 10% of the local authority houses delivered in the Newbridge and Kildare area were retained for people who were classified by the Department of Defence as over-holders.

I have been directly involved with the local community in Suncroft in developing a voluntary housing association, which has housed many people who would otherwise have become over-holders in the Curragh Camp. The Minister will not be aware of the detail.

The broader issue is that for a limited number of members of the Defence Forces, making a transition from military life to civilian life is a problem. The Minister cannot completely absolve himself of responsibility for addressing that issue.

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