Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for that excellent and very useful update, which is most helpful. From a broader perspective, the Curragh Camp, as we both know, is an excellent place full of wonderful people but dereliction is a major issue in the camp on foot of decades of neglect. It is quite an old Victorian camp. To be fair to the Department of Defence, it has a finite budget. There is only so much that it can spend in the camp every single year.

What are the Minister's thoughts on mobilising the broader Government to assist in regenerating that facility? For instance, the Office of Public Works has a budget and the Department of Higher and Further Education, Research, Innovation and Science has a budget that could be used for the Military College. The Department of Education could help out with the three schools in the Curragh, and the Department of Rural and Community Development could help out with a rural and town centre regeneration scheme. The question therefore is should we be looking at a broader approach to addressing the dereliction and infrastructure deficits in the Curragh? I thank the House.

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