Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)

I move:

''That Seanad Éireann:

— recognises that Army barracks are an integral part of the local economy in the towns in which they are based;

— affirms and supports the crucial role that soldiers and their families play in the fabric of the local communities where they are stationed;

— acknowledges the consolidation of Army barracks in recent years due to the changed security situation in Northern Ireland and the consequent reinvestment of funds to fully modernise the Defence Forces;

— notes with deep concern reports of the imminent closure of a number of barracks across Ireland such as the Dún Uí Néill Barracks, Cavan, Columb Barracks, Mullingar, Kickham Barracks, Clonmel, Stephens Barracks, Kilkenny and the Military Barracks, Castlebar;

— opposes the closure of Dún Uí Néill Barracks, Cavan, Columb Barracks, Mullingar, Kickham Barracks, Clonmel, Stephens Barracks, Kilkenny, the Military Barracks, Castlebar, and any further Army barracks across the country;

— condemns the Minister for Defence's refusal to rule out the closure of any Army barracks throughout the country, regardless of its integral role in the local area;

— further recognises that towns throughout the country are under immense pressure due to the current economic climate and need to be supported;

— further acknowledges investment into the infrastructure of Army barracks across Ireland in recent years;

— confirms that as a result of previous consolidation and investment no further Army barrack closures are necessary; and

— opposes the gradual closure of further Army barracks through a reduction of personnel numbers stationed in them.''.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Paul Kehoe. Will the senior Minister, Deputy Alan Shatter, be in attendance? This is an important matter not only for the people of Dún Uí Néill in Cavan, but also for the four other barracks mentioned in the motion. If he will not be present, I would like to know why he is not in the Chamber. I am disappointed that he is not in the Chamber for the beginning of this debate as he regularly attends when he deals with his briefs in the Departments of Justice and Equality and Defence. I would like to see the Minister here before the end of the debate.

The Fianna Fáil Senators tabled this motion to highlight the imminent danger to the future of five Army barracks throughout the country, in Clonmel, Kilkenny, Mullingar, Castlebar and Dún Uí Néill in my home town of Cavan. The personnel based in these barracks and their families, as well as those serving overseas - 22 whom come from the Dún Uí Néill barracks in Cavan - are in limbo. They do not know what the future holds. The Fianna Fáil defence spokesman in the Dáil, Deputy Dara Calleary, along with Deputies Brendan Smith and Robert Troy, have been attempting to obtain information about proposed Army barracks closures from the Minister since April. I raised this issue on a number of occasions in the Seanad, including during an Adjournment debate on 27 September. The reply from the Minister has been the same reply on every occasion and on 27 September he stated:

As of now, no decision has been made by the Government on the future of Cavan barracks or any other military installation. The issue of the closure of barracks no longer required for operational reasons to effect necessary savings will, however, be considered shortly by Government.

The Army personnel based in these five towns and the communities they serve believe that a decision has been made to close the five barracks. We are asking the Minister to come clean and to tell us what is going on. The alleged logic behind these proposed closures is that they are a fundamental requirement for improving military effectiveness and efficiency and that, overall, the move will save money. No effectiveness or efficiency will be achieved and no savings will be made by closing these barracks. Some €25 million will be lost to the towns' economies. In Cavan, €3 million will be lost to the town and the surrounding villages. Some €30 million must be provided to accommodate the relocation of the troops. In addition, travel and other expenses must be paid to personnel who are forced to move locations as far away as 120 km from their homes. It is important not to forget the human cost of this relocation.

The Defence Forces, Óglaigh na hÉireann, has been a model of public sector reform and modernisation over the past 15 years. The report by Mr. Colm McCarthy, referred to as the an bord snip nua report, found that the Defence Forces was the only part of the public sector that decreased its numbers during the era of the Celtic tiger. It did much more than this; it invested the savings generated in better equipment, facilities and training. The key to this achievement was the 2000 White Paper on defence produced by the former Minister, Michael Smith. The paper set out a ten year programme of changes and improvements in reforms, including a programme of barracks closures that were implemented in 1998. As a consequence of the modernisation, Irish troops were the match of any others serving on UN mandated peace support operations.

We were able to send over a 1,600 troops per year for most of the past decade to protect and assist some of the most vulnerable people on this planet. We took increasing leadership roles in these missions and supplied particular expertise and logistics in ordnance disposal. We took the command in the UUP support mission in Chad to assist and aid refugees fleeing the terror in Darfur. Troops from every barracks in the country were trained and equipped to the highest standards and serve regular six months to is of duties on overseas missions.

At a time of almost full employment, a life in the Defence Forces was still seen as a good career choice. Recruitment campaigns were oversubscribed. We now have a highly professional and well-equipped defence organisation. While the individual commitment and loyalty is the same, it is smaller, leaner and more efficient than it was 20 years ago.

In 2008, four Border posts - in Monaghan, Longford, Lifford and Letterkenny - were closed and personnel transferred to Dundalk, Cavan, Athlone, Finner and Mullingar. This was achieved under the stewardship of the then Minister for Defence, Deputy Willie O'Dea. As he pointed out at the time, closing these barracks was part of the peace dividend but also a consequence of there being sufficient capacity and accommodation in other barracks to receive the additional troops. The Defence Forces have done everything that was asked of them and more. Why then is the Minister, Deputy Shatter, coming back for more? Why is he contemplating barracks closures and further reductions in numbers which will undo the progress made in the last decade? Why is he targeting and victimising the one area of the entire public sector that has been reformed, modernised and downsized? Is it the Minister's intention to reduce the size of our Defence Forces? The barracks closures being considered do not make sense on any level.

When does the Minister propose to transfer the troops? Where does he propose to transfer those stationed in Mullingar, Clonmel, Kilkenny, Cavan and Castlebar? Where is the spare capacity in the remaining barracks? We know from the last round of closures that they are operating close to capacity. To close these barracks and permanently transfer 600 or 700 troops would require a considerable capital investment in additional facilities in Athlone, Finner, Dundalk, Limerick and even Dublin. How does the Minister propose to secure the funding to provide this additional capacity?

Is it the case that the Minister's true intention is not to provide additional facilities, as part of a hidden plan to reduce Army numbers even further? Many of us in this House, and many people in my home county, suspect this is the real agenda. It is not so much a plan for closing barracks as it is a tactic to reduce numbers in the Defence Forces. Has the Department done the figures on the additional facilities and accommodation that will be required? Has it calculated the allowances due to the personnel being transferred? Has the Minister or the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, visited any of the barracks earmarked for closure, or any barracks at all, since their appointment? What is the balance in 2012 and 2013 between the costs involved in shutting down these posts and the economy-of-scale savings that would be made in reduced telephone, fuel costs and so on?

Has the Minister considered the hardship these closures will impose on the families concerned? Is it not the case that these barracks have been identified by the top brass in the military in order to have all their personnel close by, thus making life easier for themselves? Why are the seven barracks in operation in the Curragh being maintained? Why is the number of generals and colonels being increased while the number of ordinary soldiers is reduced? The wages of one Army general would run Dún Uí Neill barracks in Cavan town for 12 months. That facility is the only purpose built military barracks to be constructed since the foundation of the State. It is also the most economical barracks to run, costing only €200,000 per year. Why is it being considered for closure? It makes no sense either on economic or security grounds and would leave the entire Border from Donegal to Dundalk without any military personnel. It is strategically located and vitally important to the security of the State. While the Minister, Deputy Shatter, likes to list the EU, IMF and other abbreviations, I would counter that by pointing to the abbreviations RIRA and CIRA. The latter represent a greater threat to the security of this State than anything represented by the abbreviations the Minister likes to employ whenever he is questioned as to when he will tell us the truth about what is going on.

This issue is of serious concern to my party. It is of serious concern to the communities in the five towns concerned. Sixteen people, comprising members of PDFORRA together with partners and children of some of the 130 personnel serving in Dún Uí Neill barracks in Cavan and the other towns, are in the Visitors Gallery this evening. The limbo they are in is no joke and they demand answers. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, for attending the debate, but I wish to know why the Minister, Deputy Shatter, is absent. Is the issue not serious enough to warrant his presence in the Chamber?