Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 49: To ask the Minister for Defence if it is planned to offer for sale lands or facilities currently used by the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17530/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Defence the current use of all of the military installations decommissioned in 1998; the cost to date associated with security, maintenance or other services; the benefits accruing from rents or sale; the proposed use or uses of those not yet disposed of; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17732/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Defence the net benefit to the Exchequer accruing from the closure of the various military barracks decommissioned in 1998; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17745/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Defence the current value of the decommissioned Magee Barracks in Kildare town; the future intentions for the barracks; the extent to which discussions have taken place with interested parties on its future use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17746/05]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 49, 151, 164 and 165 together.

On 15 July 1998, the Government 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 Clancy Barracks, Dublin.

The sale of 97 acres approximately at Murphy Barracks, Ballincollig, was completed in 2003 for a total of €42 million. The bulk of the lands were 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 in December last. It was agreed at the time that an area comprising approximately 27 acres at Murphy Barracks would be transferred to Cork County Council for community use and title to this area is being transferred to the council. Agreement has also been reached for the sale of a site of 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, OPW, for a plot of ground to facilitate extension of the existing Garda station located on Main Street, Ballincollig.

Some 19.218 acres at the former Fitzgerald Camp, Fermoy, were sold to Cork County Council in 2001 for €973,889 for development in conjunction with the IDA. Castleblayney Military Post, County Monaghan, comprising approximately ten acres, was sold to the North Eastern Health Board for €761,843 in 2002. Seven acres at Devoy Barracks, Naas, County Kildare, 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 balance of the barracks lands, one acre, was sold to Kildare County Council for €380,921 in 2002. Clancy Barracks, Dublin, comprising approximately 13.65 acres, was sold to Florence Properties Limited for €25.4 million in 2004.

On 1 July 2003, the Government decided that Magee Barracks, Kildare, would be among the State lands released for inclusion in the Sustaining Progress affordable housing initiative. The intention is that this initiative will be targeted at those who in the past would have expected to purchase a house from their own resources but find that they are unable to do so in the current market. The release of State lands under this initiative is a critical factor in ensuring delivery of affordable housing units. The modalities of the transfer of the Magee Barracks property to Kildare County Council are in process in consultation with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The future development of the site is a matter for that Department and Kildare County Council, which has prepared a draft local area plan for the site.

The value of sales/disposals completed to date, in respect of the six barracks, which were the subject of the July 1998 Government decision, is in the region of €80 million. The security, maintenance, consultancy and other costs in respect of those barracks identified for closure in 1998 are shown in the table.

These costs were more than offset by savings on military security duty allowances and utility costs consequent on the closure of the six barracks. It is the policy of my Department to dispose of properties that are surplus to military requirements. In this regard the property portfolio is kept under continual review and any such properties will be disposed of to fund much needed investment for the Defence Forces.