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

If she has those details, I would like to speak to the individuals concerned and we will try to work with them.

I have visited the Curragh and will continue to do so regularly, but the Deputies may wish to note that the following major capital projects are planned in the coming years at a combined cost of €32.7 million: the cadet school, which is scheduled to commence this year; engineering stores, scheduled to commence this year; communications and information services, CIS, workshops, scheduled to commence next year; the Army ranger wing headquarters, scheduled to commence in 2023; the military college auditorium suite; a new bonded warehouse; military freefall, MFF, facilities; and a medical school upgrade. We have a substantial plan of works for the Curragh and have in recent years been investing in upgrading buildings there. As the Deputies know, it is a large complex. The overall Curragh military facility is approximately 5,000 acres. We are incrementally going to upgrade the Curragh, deal with dereliction and ensure that it is an appropriate military training facility with a significant military community operating to modern standards.

The Curragh is the headquarters and, in many ways, the flagship of the Army. I am conscious of that. There are too many derelict buildings in the Curragh and we are setting about addressing that, but I do not believe that the way to do so, which seems to be suggested by the Members opposite, is to put more and more housing into the middle of a military training facility. That would not make sense. Previous Governments have agreed with this policy position, unless Sinn Féin proposes to change it.

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