Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 28: To ask the Minister for Defence the method of disposal or alternative use to which military installations closed or decommissioned in 1998 have been put in the interim; if still in public ownership, if they have been disposed of by way of sale or otherwise; the extent to which any such receipts have gone to the upgrading of military facilities or establishments; his intentions for the alternative use or disposal of any such installations closed or scheduled for closure in the context of the McCarthy report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14292/12]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 150: To ask the Minister for Defence the extent to which he expects to dispose of military installations decommissioned or closed arising form the McCarthy report; the use to which any such funds are likely to be put; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14536/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 150 together.

On 15 July 1998 the then Government approved a programme of the closure and sale of six barracks considered surplus to military requirements. The barracks in question were located at Ballincollig, Fermoy, Naas, Castleblayney, Kildare, and Islandbridge, 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 c. 2.7 acres to the Southern Health Board for €1.73 million was completed in December 2004 and the sale of a further site comprising c.1.7 acres to the HSE South for a consideration of €1.1 million approximately was completed shortly thereafter. A half-acre site is being transferred to the Office of Public Works (OPW) for a consideration of €1.45 million to facilitate extension of the existing Garda Station located on Main Street, Ballincollig. As was agreed at the time of the closure and sale of Murphy Barracks, an area comprising approximately 27 acres of the property was transferred to Cork County Council for community use.

An area comprising 19 acres approximately at the former Fitzgerald Camp, Fermoy, was sold to Cork County Council in 2001 for close to €1 million for economic development of the site in conjunction with the IDA.

Castleblayney Military Post, Co. Monaghan, comprising c. 10 acres, was sold to the North Eastern Health Board for €0.8 million approximately in 2002.

An area comprising 7 acres approximately at Devoy Barracks, Naas, Co. Kildare, was ceded free of charge to Naas Urban District Council, while a further 14 acres were sold to that authority for €8.9 million approximately. The balance of the Barracks lands - one acre - was sold to Kildare County Council for approximately €0.4 million in 2002. Lifford Military Post and St. Bricin's Hospital Dublin was announced.

The sale of Monaghan to the local VEC for €3.1m was completed on 24 August 2010 while the sale of part of Longford to the VEC for €0.95m was completed on 16 July 2010. The position with Lifford and Rockhill is that agreement has been reached with Donegal County Council on the basis of them acquiring both premises over a 3-4 year period. Agreement has also been reached with Longford County Council for their acquisition of the remaining part of Connolly Barracks in Longford.

The closure of St Bricin's Hospital was linked to the decentralisation programme. It cannot be progressed until issues arising from the cancellation of the transfer under that programme, of Defence Forces Headquarters to the Curragh, have been addressed.

The total realised to-date in terms of sales of surplus property is €84m approx. This, together with income from the sale of other smaller military properties and married quarters has been re-invested in providing equipment and infrastructure for the Defence Forces.