Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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192. To ask the Minister for Defence in view of the housing and homelessness crisis if his Department will, at least in the short term, desist from the eviction of over-holders at the Curragh Camp; if, for the duration of the crisis, it will allow the vacant housing stock at this location to be brought back into use in consultation with Kildare County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16334/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under military regulations married quarters have in the past been allocated to serving personnel upon request. Personnel who leave the Defence Forces or who vacate a married quarter property that had been assigned to them are required under regulations to return vacant possession of that property. Where the property is not vacated those remaining in the property are overholding and, as they have no right under military regulations to hold or reside in military accommodation, the Department will in accordance with normal procedures continue to seek to recover possession from them.

While each case of overholding is dealt with on an individual basis, it is important to remember that the Department does not have a role in the provision of housing accommodation for the general public. The Department does however assist in whatever way it can in order to resolve the cases of overholding without recourse to legal action, as it is preferable not to have to use legal means to obtain vacant possession of the properties concerned. However, any initiative to resolve overholding must support and complement the current policy of withdrawing from the provision of married quarters.

The majority of properties being overheld at the Curragh Camp are located within barracks and therefore are not for sale to occupants as they are required to be retained for future military use. Those few properties that are located in the vicinity of the camp are offered for sale to the occupants and indeed many such properties have been purchased by those occupants over the years.

The securing of alternative housing is a matter for the individuals concerned in the first instance. If individuals are not in a position to secure housing in their own right it may be the case that they qualify for social housing or that they qualify for some level of housing assistance and, when requested to do so, the Department provides whatever documentation it can to support such applications.

The Department initiated discussion with Kildare County Council to determine whether there was a possibility of a joint initiative to provide solutions to the overholding issues in the Curragh. The Council indicated at the time that due to budgetary constraints their policy now is to lease suitable properties in order to provide accommodation for those who meet the criteria for social housing assistance. My Department will however continue to remain open to considering any initiatives that might be put forward by the local authority in this regard.