Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 500: To ask the Minister for Defence in view of the departmental report confirming that the closure of Columb Barracks, Mullingar, County Westmeath, will actually cost money, if he will confirm that this barracks will not close in any further consolidation process. [35608/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is mistaken in his belief that the closure of Columb Barracks will cost money. As I have said previously annual savings in respect of utilities, security duty allowances and maintenance amount to approximately €1.3 million per annum in respect of the four closures. In addition to the cost of utilities each barracks requires a security detail and additional further personnel are tied up on purely administrative duties connected to the management of the particular barracks. Because maintaining barrack security can require around the clock cover, a much larger pool of personnel is required. Therefore, several hundred additional man years will become available for operational duties. At a minimum, the value of this efficiency gain across the four locations will exceed €5 million per year.