Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We must agree to differ on this point. The advice I have from the Defence Forces is that the restructured brigade structure in Ireland is working very well and that there have not been more than 1,400 troops in this barracks since the 1990s. Therefore, the numbers there currently are stronger than has been the case in the recent past. I accept, of course, that the restructuring of the brigade structure, if one wishes to call it that, has resulted in certain people being unhappy. However, it came as a recommendation from the Defence Forces and has resulted in an improved structure and greater efficiency. Certainly, no one within the Defence Forces of whom I am aware seeks to reverse the clock in this regard. As for Custume Barracks, from what I have seen, the motivation and the standards being set there are better now than they have been in many years.

See this speech in context