Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, on his new position. I thank the Acting Chairman on behalf of the people of Mullingar and its hinterlands, including in particular the serving and former military personnel of Columb barracks and their extended families for allowing me to raise this important issue. I ask the Minister for Defence to give a clear, concise and unequivocal commitment that he will not attempt to dispose of, close or in any way downgrade the status of Columb barracks, Mullingar, which has been in operation as an integral part of Mullingar since 1822 and which was the subject of a recent illuminating and informative lecture in the barracks by an eminent historian.

To say that I am shocked to have to raise this matter in our Parliament on behalf of all those affected in order to seek an unqualified assurance as to the future of Columb barracks is an understatement. I cannot believe that a sovereign government would ever contemplate closing such a major and integral part of the Defence Forces' facilities. The fact that my telephone line has been buzzing with deeply concerned people, including former and serving personnel and their families, is an indication of the anger and fear that has been generated following the reports by Conor Kane in this morning's Irish Independent. We are gobsmacked but the people of Mullingar and County Westmeath will fight the closure tooth and nail. If the Minister is even contemplating such a move, I advise him to forget about it because we will not allow it to happen in any shape or form. I do not want mealy mouthed side steps or obfuscatory assurances such as a statement that it is not intended to close any more barracks in the short term. We will not allow the barracks to close in any term, whether short, medium or long.

Let me explain the importance of Columb Barracks to the economy of Mullingar and County Westmeath. It is the home of the fourth field artillery regiment. As one comes into Mullingar one can see signs of the town's pride in its association with the military. It is the last remaining artillery barracks in Ireland and, given its location in the geographical centre of the country, it is of great strategic importance and acts as a staging post for all our overseas and UN based operations. Over 200 serving personnel are based in the barracks, together with more than 20 highly skilled civilian staff. The income generated from pay, pensions and ancillary purchases is worth approximately €10 million to the local economy. The facility's 200 beds increases its importance to the western brigade. It also acts as a headquarters of the Reserve Defence Force and the 54th regiment. It is ironic that the blocks in the barracks have recently been upgraded for fire proofing.

Up to a quarter of the strength of the barracks is going to Chad on 21 May, continuing the fine tradition of our military personal of making significant contributions to the strength of the fourth western brigade on important missions. We are proud of the military personnel from Columb Barracks, Mullingar, and Custume Barracks, Athlone, who have served with great skill and distinction on important missions. The fourth field artillery regiment has in recent times been honoured by addresses of recognition by Westmeath County Council and Mullingar Town Council, which reflects the importance of Columb Barracks to the economic, cultural and community life and future of the town of Mullingar.

Two active groups, ONE and IUNVA, represent retired soldiers in Mullingar. Their members do great social and community work and ensure their colleagues are never forgotten. I salute them for their fundraising efforts and the work they do on behalf of their members throughout the country. Many serving members of the Defence Forces also do community work in their spare time across a range of voluntary organisations. Regimental Sergeant Major Noel O'Callaghan and his colleagues have embarked upon a fundraising venture to help the stroke unit at Mullingar hospital and, even though the campaign is only a few months old, have already raised over €30,000 for this worthy cause.

From an economic perspective, it is foolhardy to contemplate closing Columb Barracks. Apart from being unable to dispose of it in the current climate, all personnel would have to be paid disturbance money. No money will be saved, therefore. Families of serving personnel would suffer significant disruption if they are forced to relocate. They would have sell their houses, which is not easy in a collapsed market, and might face difficulties in securing school places elsewhere. I urge the Minister to put the serving personnel and their families, who have made long term decisions based on the future of Columb Barracks, to the fore in his considerations.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. One of the downsides of my new job is that I am no longer a member of the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which he has expertly chaired for the past two years. The Minister for Defence has asked me to convey his regrets at being unavailable to take this Adjournment matter in person. However, he is grateful to the Deputy for giving him the opportunity to address the misleading impression given by media reports this morning regarding potential barrack closures.

As he has advised the House on many occasions the closure of barracks and the consolidation of the Defence Forces into a smaller number of locations is a key objective of the White Paper on defence. The dispersal of personnel over an extended number of locations is an impediment to essential collective training and imposes increased and unnecessary overheads on the Defence Forces in terms of barrack management, administration, maintenance and security. The consolidation process is designed to facilitate higher training standards while also freeing under utilised resources and personnel for operational duties.

The funding previously realised from the disposal of surplus barracks and properties has, together with pay savings, provided some of the resources required for infrastructure, training development and equipment procurement. In this regard, the White Paper states that the Government's decisions are based on its recognition of the necessity to enhance the equipment and infrastructure available to the Defence Forces. It is the Minister's intention that the funding realised from the disposal of recently closed barracks will provide further funding for the ongoing re-equipment and modernisation of the Defence Forces.

The development and increased capability of the Defence Forces, together with the improved security situation along the Border, removed the rationale for seven barracks and posts in Border areas and provided the opportunity for consolidating units in fewer locations. In framing the 2009 budget the Government, therefore, decided to reduce the number of Army barracks to bring them into line with the operational requirements of the Defence Forces and achieve economies of scale. As a result, the seven barracks along the Border were consolidated into three posts.

This morning's article suggested that further closures are on the way. This is a complete misrepresentation of the current position and the documents provided by the Department of Defence under a freedom of information request. If anything, the manner in which the issue was reported is contrary to the purpose of the Freedom of Information Act, which is designed to inform rather than misinform the public on policy issues. The documents in question were prepared in the context of the 2008 budget and include a memorandum from the Defence Forces' strategic planning office from January 2008. These documents set out a range of possible options on barrack closures for consideration by the Minister for Defence and the Government.

Having considered the matter, the Government agreed in the context of the budget to announce the closure of four barracks, namely, Longford, Rockhill, Lifford and Monaghan. As the Deputy will appreciate and as the Minister has previously stated, the decision was based on the particular requirements in the Border region given the changed security situation arising from the Good Friday Agreement dispensation.

The Government has made no decision on other barracks nor are further closures under active consideration by the Minister or the Government at this time. The Government and the Minister must take cognisance of the requirements of the Defence Forces and ensure on an ongoing basis that the overall organisation and deployment of Defence Forces personnel across the country fully supports the ongoing professional development and training of our Defence Forces. While the Department and the Defence Forces continually review requirements relating to barracks, infrastructure and other military installations, it is important that the most recent changes be given the opportunity to bed down. Contrary to media reports this morning, there are no plans for further barrack closures.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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There is no smoke without fire.