Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 158: To ask the Minister for Defence if his attention has been drawn to repeated approaches to him by a society (details supplied) seeking to have improved management systems put in place for the Curragh plain, County Kildare; if he has considered these proposals; if he intends to implement either a revised or improved management system for this national resource; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38250/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Since being appointed Minister for Defence I have had one approach from this Society and met with three of their representatives in June last. At that meeting they outlined their concerns on a number of incidents that had occurred in the Curragh over recent years and sought the introduction of a number of measures that had been proposed by the Inter-Departmental Task Force on the future management and development of the Curragh of Kildare including the establishment of a Statutory Authority under the aegis of the Minister for Defence to manage the Curragh with the exception of the Defence Forces Training Centre.

At that time I indicated that the establishment of such a body as a separate agency under the aegis of my Department would have involved additional costs in terms of staff, accommodation, expenses and payments to members of the Authority, which would be significantly greater than the costs incurred by the Department in administering the Curragh Lands. As you are aware the Government has targeted the rationalisation of State agencies as a key cost saving measure. In that context it would be inappropriate and indeed costly to establish a separate agency to manage work currently being done economically by the staff of the Department. Given the requirements of administrative efficiency, and the technical issues raised in relation to the role of the Minister as the final arbiter in disputes relating to the use of the Curragh Lands, it was decided not to proceed with the establishment of the Authority, which was a primary focus of the recommendations of the Inter-Departmental Task Force.

The way forward now will involve a review by the Department of the varying usage of the lands by a range of different interests in the Curragh, not least the Defence Forces, with a view to establishing how these can be best accommodated and managed within the existing administrative framework and within existing resources. The question of the requirement for legislation to address any other issues in relation to the Curragh Lands can then be examined in this context. This work will proceed as resources allow, given the competing demands on the Department's staff and resources and the need to prioritise issues and allocate reducing resources to the core Defence policy and operational issues.

I understand that the Deputy accompanied representatives of the Society at a meeting with one of my predecessors when the general position as outlined above was conveyed to them.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 159: To ask the Minister for Defence if he has had any engagement with any agency or body, other than Kildare County Council, in relation to the future use of lands at Magee Barracks, Kildare town; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38252/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Officials from Enterprise Ireland and the IDA visited the site on the 14 November last. On 16 November, I met with a deputation from Kildare Chamber of Commerce to discuss possible future uses. In terms of disposal the Deputy will appreciate that the market remains extremely difficult.

In the past week my Department has written to all other Government Departments and a number of State agencies advising them of properties, including the former Magee Barracks site, which are available for disposal and expressions of interest, if any, are awaited.

Whilst I am open to any suggestions on the future use and development of the site I would like to reiterate that it is the Department's intention to dispose of the property, taking account of the market conditions, so as to maximise the return to the Defence Forces.

Kildare County Council is currently preparing a Local Area Plan (LAP) for the town of Kildare. This plan will set out a vision for the future development of the town. The Magee site is a significant site in the town and will be a central feature of the plan.