Vol. 509 No. 4
166 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the status of Devoy Barracks, Naas, County Kildare; its estimated value; its cost in terms of maintenance and security and other costs since its closure in July 1998; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20773/99]
Agreement has been reached between my Department and Naas Urban District Council on the transfer of part of the property to the council for local purposes. The balance of the property has been rezoned for housing in line with the development plan for Naas UDC, which was adopted on 29 May 1999, and this property will be offered for sale in the near future. In this regard, tenders have been invited for the appointment of selling agents to undertake the sale.
I will be taking the advice of the Valuation Office on the property's potential value but ultimately market forces will determine its actual value.
To date the cost of security amounts to £130,213.66 while the costs of maintenance, including the provision of lighting etc. total £2,463.
While the cost to date amounts to £565,416.94 in respect of all vacated barracks, the military authorities have estimated that the savings to date on security duty allowances amount to over £375,000. In addition, there has been significant savings on utilities such as telephone and electricity charges.
