Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after ''That'' and substitute the following:

"Seanad Éireann

— notes that the previous Government recognised the substantial benefits for the Defence Forces of barrack consolidation by implementing two separate programmes involving the closure of ten barracks throughout the country;

— accepts that the estimates for Defence for 2011, decided upon by the previous Government, necessitate a reduction in the strength of the Defence Forces and other substantial economies;

— acknowledges that the previous Government's carelessness and complacency in managing the economy has caused an extremely difficult economic situation and that the reduced resources that are available to the Defence Forces must now be prioritised to ensure their operational capability both at home and overseas is not put at risk;

— accepts that Government must make difficult choices in the national interest and deplores the glaring inconsistency of opposing necessary decisions on barrack consolidation for short-term political advantage;

— supports the Government's comprehensive plans to tackle the economic crisis and notes that these plans are now bearing fruit; and

— accepts that reform and reorganisation of the public service including the effective use of State assets is a key element of these plans."

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department and Government Chief Whip, Deputy Kehoe, who is more than capable of handling this matter. I have no doubt he will speak for his colleague, the Minister, Deputy Shatter, as well. I welcome also Councillor Walsh and the good people of Cavan who are present.

Unfortunately, there is a basic dishonesty in the motion put forward by the Members opposite because of the policies their party in government pursued and the position they handed over to the current Government. Their sheer brass necks take the biscuit. They are shying away from the national interest in their motion.

Our amendment notes their Government's decision to recognise the substantial benefits for the Defence Forces of barrack consolidation by implementing two separate programmes involving the closure of ten barracks throughout the country. It accepts that the Estimates for the Defence Forces for 2011, decided upon by the previous Government, necessitate a reduction in the strength of the Defence Forces and other substantial economies but I understand, and I am sure the Minister of State will elaborate further, that no redundancies are envisaged in any proposal that may emerge. Our amendment acknowledges that the previous Government's carelessness and complacency in managing the economy caused an extremely difficult situation for the country and reduced the resources available to the Defence Forces and because of that the Defence Forces must now be prioritised to ensure their operational capacity both at home and overseas. We cannot afford to put that at risk.

Our Government must make difficult choices in the national interest and we deplore the glaring inconsistency of opposing necessary decisions on barrack consolidation for short-term gain. Our amendment supports the Government's comprehensive plans to tackle the economic crisis and notes that those plans are now bearing fruit. It accepts that reform and reorganisation of the public service, including the effective use of State assets, is a key element of those plans.

The motion is at odds with the policies and decisions the party of the Members opposite took throughout its term in government. They implemented two programmes of barracks closures, closing ten in total. Their White Paper on Defence envisaged consolidation and a smaller number of barracks locations. The programme they laid out is necessary to maximise the effectiveness of the Defence Forces.