Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to outline the unprecedented levels of capital investment we are making at Haulbowline naval base in County Cork. Since the introduction of the infrastructure development plan, we have completed in excess of €12 million worth of projects at the naval base, including a refurbishment of the operations training building, an upgrade of accommodation block 8, a regeneration of Spencer jetty, an upgrade of the oil wharf and the installation of a fire detection and firefighting system.

At present, €38 million worth of projects are at various stages of the design, procurement and construction process at Haulbowline, including three accommodation projects that will in total provide another 118 beds for Naval Service personnel. The refurbishment of blocks 4 and 9 is now well advanced and both will be completed in 2025. In addition, the following projects will proceed to construction in 2025: a new gym at the old tank building, a refurbishment of the cadets’ mess, a refurbishment of the old communications building and the commencement of dredging works for the entire base. All told, this represents a committed €50 million in capital projects.

Building on this momentum, my Department has commenced a process of developing master plans for each military installation in the State, including the naval base. To this end, a tendering process will be launched in the coming days to engage consultants to develop a master plan for the Naval Service. This will capture all future planning and infrastructure, both land and marine-based projects, for the next 20 years, ensuring that developments necessary to achieve level of ambition 2 are in place. This approach represents a step change in how we develop our military infrastructure and is further proof of my commitment to ensuring our Defence Forces have the requisite assets required to complete the taskings the Government assigns to them.

See this speech in context