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

Personnel who leave the Defence Forces or who vacate a married quarter property that had been assigned to them are required under regulations to return vacant possession of that property. Where the property is not vacated, those remaining in the property are overholding and, as they have no right under military regulations to hold or reside in military accommodation, the Department will in accordance with normal procedures continue to seek to recover possession from them. While each case of overholding is dealt with on an individual basis, it is important to remember that the Department does not have a role in the provision of housing accommodation for the general public. The Department does however assist in whatever way it can in order to resolve the cases of overholding without recourse to legal action, as it is preferable not to have to use legal means to obtain vacant possession of the properties concerned. If individuals are not in a position to secure housing in their own right, it may be the case that they qualify for social housing or that they qualify for some level of housing assistance and, when requested to do so, the Department provides whatever documentation it can to support such applications.

The Deputy can be assured that my Department will deal with any overholders in a vulnerable position in a sensitive manner and will where possible work with the local authorities to help find solutions to the current overholding problem with due consideration. What I cannot do, though, is to give the Deputy a blanket commitment that everybody can stay in their property if they want to, until the pressures on housing demand ease.

That is essentially saying that after people leave the Defence Forces, even in a military camp, they can stay in the accommodation they have been in while in the Defence Forces. There are all sorts of reasons we cannot do that.

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