David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 206: To ask the Minister for Defence the properties that have been sold by his Department each year since 1997; the amount made by each property; the amount or other resource that was made available to the local community in each case a sale of military property took place as compensation for any loss suffered from the sale; his current policy in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8507/05]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The Government on 15 July 1998 approved a programme of evacuation and sale of six barracks considered surplus to military requirements. The barracks in question were located at Ballincollig, Fermoy, Castleblayney, Naas, Kildare and Dublin.

The sale of approximately 97 acres at Murphy Barracks, Ballincollig, County Cork, was completed in 2003 for a total of €42 million. The majority of the land was purchased by O'Flynn Construction. The sale of a site comprising approximately 2.7 acres to the Southern Heath Board for €1.73 million was completed last December. It was agreed at that time to transfer an area comprising approximately 27 acres at Murphy Barracks to Cork County Council for community use and title to this area is currently being transferred to the council. Agreement has also been reached for the sale of a site comprising approximately 1.7 acres to the Department of Education and Science for approximately €1.1 million. A half acre site has been set aside on foot of a request from the Office of Public Works for a plot of ground to facilitate extension to the existing Garda station located on Main Street, Ballincollig.

A site comprising 19.218 acres at the former Fitzgerald camp, Fermoy, County Cork, was sold for €973,889 to Cork County Council in 2001 for development in conjunction with the IDA. Castleblayney military post, County Monaghan, which comprised approximately ten acres, was sold to the North Eastern Health Board for €761,843 in 2002. At Devoy Barracks, Naas, County Kildare seven acres were ceded free of charge to Naas Urban District Council while a further 14 acres were sold to that authority for €8,888,167. The remaining one acre of that barracks' lands was sold to Kildare County Council for €380,921 in 2002.

Clancy Barracks, Dublin, which is a site comprising approximately 13.65 acres, was sold to Florence Properties Limited for €25.4 million in 2004. The Government decided in July 2003 that Magee Barracks, Kildare, County Kildare, would be among the State lands released for inclusion in the Sustaining Progress affordable housing initiative. The modalities of the transfer of this property as well as lands at Gormanston, County Meath, St. Bricin's Hospital, Dublin, and Collins Barracks, Cork, to the relevant local authorities are under active consideration in consultation with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Chief State Solicitor's office.

The Government decided in February 2000 in the context of the White Paper on defence that all the proceeds from sales of surplus military properties would be reinvested in equipment and infrastructure for the Defence Forces.

Disposals involving a number of other military properties surplus to requirements were also completed during the period since 1997. The principal properties were as follows: 6.39 acres adjoining Collins Barracks, Cork, and known as Susan's Field was sold to Cork City Council for €1.523 million; approximately 3.4 acres at Sarsfield Barracks, Limerick, was disposed of to Limerick City Council for €1.162 million; a site comprising approximately 0.931 acre adjacent to my Department's FCA premises in Kanturk, County Cork, was disposed of to the Southern Health Board for a consideration of €0.178 million; approximately 1.559 acres at Waterford Barracks was sold to Waterford City Council for €0.662 million; the sale by public tender of Belmont Huts, Cobh, County Cork, which comprised approximately 2.89 acres, to a Wexford based partnership for €2.4 million was completed during 2004; and 100 married quarters at Orchard Park, Curragh, County Kildare, are being sold to the occupants. Sales to date have realised over €3 million. Total sales are expected to realise approximately €4 million.

The value of sales and disposals completed since 1997 totals in the region of €90 million.