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

A report of the magnitude of the one the commission is doing will, of course, attract commentary. People will express concern and ambitions that they want accommodated in the commission's report. There has been some such commentary and that is to be expected. I ask people to be patient and wait for the content of the report. My understanding is that this will be a substantial report with a lot of recommendations, some of which may relate to fundamental change. Let us wait for the report and assess it. My role will be to build as much as consensus as possible about the way forward as a result of the report. It will create a new direction and not only for the length of one Government term but for a much longer period of time. It is important to get it right.

The comments that were made yesterday about Cathal Brugha Barracks were in the context of the Housing for All update report, which was launched and commented on yesterday. What I have agreed to in the Department of Defence is a feasibility study to look at Cathal Brugha Barracks in the context of housing demand. However, there is no predetermined outcome of that feasibility study. Let me be clear about that.

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