asked the Minister for Defence the conditions laid down for the parking by civilian employees of their motor vehicles in Clancy Barracks; whether similar conditions are imposed in respect of other Army barracks; if so, when they were imposed; and, if not, why civilian employees in Clancy Barracks are subjected to such conditions.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Private Cars in Dublin Barracks.
26.
Before a civilian employee is permitted to park his motor vehicle in Clancy Barracks, he is required to complete a form indicating that he agrees that the vehicle and its accessories are accommodated in the barracks at the employee's sole risk, that he is responsible for any damage to persons or property, whether public or private, which may arise by reason of the vehicle and its accessories being accommodated in the barracks, and that the vehicle may be searched by a non-commissioned officer of the Military Police Corps. He is also required to give on the form particulars of the insurance policy covering his vehicle.
Each barracks has its own arrangements and instructions governing the entry of civilians and the parking of vehicles. The particular arrangements I have outlined apply only to Clancy Barracks and were imposed for security reasons peculiar to that barracks.
We are all very interested. We did not know Clancy Barracks was such a security risk. Can the Minister say why the civilians in Clancy Barracks are singled out for this attention? Does he realise that they have taken umbrage because their honesty and integrity are put in doubt in their being asked to submit to this search? In no other barracks, in which no doubt the same security rules must be involved, have civilians been asked to submit to this indignity.
The Camp Commandant of the barracks is responsible for the security of the barracks and it is his duty to lay down the conditions. He does that himself. He informed the employees and other personnel concerned that he intended to lay down certain conditions in regard to the parking of vehicles, and he did so. Five civilians out of 203 refused to sign. He had ample and good reason in this case for laying down these conditions and the fact is that these conditions could be applied in any barracks where the Camp Commandant deems them necessary.
Could the Minister confirm this? Is it not the position that, if military police anywhere on any military grounds believe that a vehicle contains property which should not be there, they have the right to search and am I not right in saying the rights and conditions laid down here apply in any event, irrespective of whether people acknowledge beforehand that they recognise that they exist? Is that not the position?
The Deputy misses the point. Employees are being accommodated by being permitted to park their vehicles in the barracks. The Commandant is responsible for the valuable stores held in the barracks and this is his method of making certain that he is carrying out his obligations to the State in this particular instance.
It is extraordinary that he is the only person who does this.