Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join others in commending the Tánaiste on leading reform within the Defence Forces and in restoring the high value our nation has in those who serve. The Tánaiste mentioned the non-financial measures he is looking at in retaining those who serve and housing should come into that mix as well. Around 1982 or 1983 the Department of Defence owned a huge land bank in Knockalisheen, Meelick, County Clare. A lot of the men and women from that locality would be based out of Sarsfield Barracks in Limerick but the Department of Defence partnered with the Reverend Father Harry Bohan at the time, who was leading what we would now call an affordable housing scheme, although I am not sure what term they used 40 years ago. It was successful in delivering a scheme of about 75 affordable houses. To this day, people who served in the 1980s, and second and third generations who are still serving the Army, live in this estate. It breathed incredible life into the village. The school was struggling at the time and it just gave us a huge boost. I would love to see those land banks similarly used. They are considerable and a lot of them lie within the Department of Defence. Maybe they could be part of Housing for All or at least as housing for those who serve in the armed forces.

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