Vol. 514 No. 5
7 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Defence the situation regarding the sale of Fermoy barracks; the legal situation regarding the sale of the barracks; the commitments entered into in relation to barracks to date; the income which will return to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4590/00]
22 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Defence the situation regarding the sale of Ballincollig barracks; the legal situation regarding the sale of the barracks; the commitments entered into in relation to barracks to date; the income which will return to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4587/00]
27 Mr. Dukes asked the Minister for Defence the situation regarding the sale of Naas barracks; the legal situation regarding the sale of the barracks; the commitments entered into in relation to barracks to date; the income which will return to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4591/00]
75 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Defence the situation regarding the sale of Castleblayney barracks; the legal situation regarding the sale of the barracks; the commitments entered into in relation to barracks to date; the income which will return to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4588/00]
77 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Defence the situation regarding the sale of Clancy barracks; the legal situation regarding the sale of the barracks; the commitments entered into in relation to barracks to date; the income which will return to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4584/00]
93 Mr. Dukes asked the Minister for Defence the situation regarding the sale of Clancy barracks; the legal situation regarding the sale of the barracks; the commitments entered into in relation to barracks to date; the income which will return to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4592/00]
127 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the position in relation to the military barracks which were closed in 1998; the number of these installations disposed of; the amount realised in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4752/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 22, 27, 75, 77, 93 and 127 together.
The Government on 15 July 1998 approved a programme of evacuation and sale of six barracks which were considered surplus to military requirements. The barracks in question are located in Fermoy, Ballincollig, Naas, Kildare, Castleblayney and Clancy barracks, Dublin. Five of the barracks have been vacated while the sixth, Clancy barracks, will be evacuated this year.
I have decided to dispose of Fitzgerald Camp, Fermoy, to Cork County Council for economic development of the site in conjunction with the IDA. The agreed price is £767,000. The land will be developed and marketed as a strategic industrial site to attract inward investment. This development will greatly assist in the continuing revitalisation of Fermoy and will enhance its potential for future industrial development.
The independent consultants appointed to draw up an integrated action area plan for the former barracks in Ballincollig undertook a rigorous process of public consultation as an integral part of their commission. The integrated plan for the future development of the property is complete and is awaited from the consultants.
Agreement has been reached between my Department and Naas Urban District Council on the transfer of part of the property of Devoy barracks 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, as adopted on 29 May 1999. A tender competition was held in October 1999 for the appointment of selling agents to undertake the sale of the property. The Department, having considered the offers received, decided to re-invite tenders for selling agents. These were due on 14 February. A total of 14 tenders were received and these are currently being examined.
Arising from a request by the Department of Foreign Affairs to house Kosovar refugees, I offered that Department the opportunity to inspect the five vacated barracks to check their feasibility for the accommodation of the refugees. Currently, Magee barracks, Kildare is being used for this purpose on a temporary basis. In the interim a tender competition has been arranged for the appointment of independent consultants to prepare an area action plan in respect of the former barracks land. A number of the proposals received were short listed and those consultants on the short list made presentations before a select committee on 16 February. The consultants selected will submit a report within three months of appointment. The sale of the barracks will proceed as soon as practicable following evaluation of the report.
I decided to sell the site of Castleblayney barracks to the North Eastern Health Board for £600,000. Pending completion of the legal and financial formalities, a caretaker agreement has been completed between the North Eastern Health Board and my Department. The former barracks was handed over to the board on 9 February on foot of that agreement. It is envisaged that the child care project proposed by the health board for the site will provide 45 permanent appointments and a sum in excess of £1 million will be invested in the provision of the necessary facilities. In addition, the annual revenue for the town is estimated to be in the region of £1.2 million. The proposal from the North Eastern Health Board includes a gymnasium, an all-weather pitch and a swimming pool. I understand these facilities will be made available to the local community when not in use for child care purposes. In accordance with normal practice, all legal aspects of the sale will be handled by the Chief State Solicitor acting on my Department's behalf.
It is expected that up to £50 million will be realised from the sales of barracks. I do not intend to close any other barracks.
The Minister mentioned a figure of £50 million. Is that a projection or is it the sum realised? Does the Minister intend to spend this money on equipment for the Defence Forces? The Minister has reassured us that there will not be further barracks closures. There is concern in Longford that the barracks there will be closed. The Minister may say there will not be further closures but he must assure the House that the circumstances will not arise from a military point of view where some barracks are unavoidably closed. I hope the Minister is not trying to shift the onus on to the military.
Deputy Belton is obviously interested in Longford barracks. He has claimed to have kept it open on six occasions.
Five occasions.
He has a sixth opportunity now. He knows that he does not have to ask such a question, I have indicated the position to the Deputy, in private .
The Deputy also asked if £50 million is a projected figure. It is, and I am optimistic that it will be exceeded. The money will be used primarily for re-equipment and refurbishment within the Defence Forces.
Why was a second tender competition held for Devoy barracks in Naas? What is the situation in Magee barracks in Kildare town? There has only been one meeting between the Minister's Department and the local area committee of Kildare County Council. There is concern in the area that there has not been any movement. It is possible to plan for the outcome while the refugees are still there. Can the Minister assure me that every effort will be made to speed up the process?
I regret that it was necessary to re-advertise for selling agents in Naas. It is an extremely valuable property and we were anxious to test the market as soon as possible. There was a selling agent who wanted to be told when the tenders were to be advertised but who missed the opportunity to submit a tender. It was re-advertised to afford the fullest opportunity to someone in that category. The delay was short, however, because the tenders have been received and are now being considered.
There has been only one meeting with the local representatives. The focus now is on the area action plan, the selection of the consultants and their preparation of the work which can proceed while the refugees are housed in the barracks. We hope that will be temporary and as soon as the action plan is presented to me, it will be published and we will then have further discussions with local representatives. It would not help to have further meetings now because the focus is on the preparation of the action plan and once that is ready we will be in business. I hope that the site will be free as well so that we could proceed both with the sale and the local discussions.
What is the timetable for Clancy Barracks?
Clancy Barracks is to be evacuated before the end of this year. The process is ongoing. Discussions are taking place with the representative associations and the unions. A variety of different options are being offered to the personnel as to where they will relocate, whether they will retire or whatever else. Discussions are also taking place with the local authorities for the dispersal of the land for housing purposes in a multi-mix programme.
When the Minster announced the closure of a number of barracks throughout the country it was anticipated that a specific sum would be realised. How does that sum compare with today's evaluation of the properties concerned and to what extent has a revision been made in respect of the valuation?
It is early to revise the sum, which is probably a little conservative at this stage because of the way property prices are increasing. In at least two cases we are dealing with the local authority and meeting a distinct local need. In another case we are dealing with the North Eastern Health Board to meet a distinct need. I believe the sum will be exceeded but I do not believe it is necessary to revise it upwards at present.
At a previous Question Time the Minister spoke about undertaking an audit of Defence Forces property with a view to assisting local authorities with the purchase of land. Have there been any advances on that?
We have selected three sites for sale in different parts of the country. However, we are undertaking a more rigorous assessment of our total land and property portfolio outside of barracks to see what else we can offer in terms of easing the pressure on housing and assisting local authorities, sports clubs, etc. We are not in the business of keeping property that is surplus to requirements and a vigorous assessment is being undertaken to bring it to the market. Once again, the funds raised will be allocated to the re-equipment and refurbishment of the Defence Forces.
If the Minister receives an application from Wicklow County Council for land in the Glen of Imaal I ask him to look upon it favourably.
Sacred ground.
We cannot buy and sell land across the floor of the House.
The Minister said that any moneys would be allocated to re-equipment. Is he aware that General McMahon made this point in The Irish Times? He pointed out that because of our commitments under the Petersberg Tasks there would be a need to lower personnel numbers and invest in equipment. Is that the case and, if so, was the Green Party not the only party to make that point and is it not also the case that the Army can only trust the Green Party in these matters?
We are concerned with a modest reduction from the current number of 10,900 to 10,500. However, I do not ignore that this will cause problems. Present thinking is based primarily on the views put forward by the military leadership for many years that it did not have the equipment necessary for it to perform the different tasks asked of it, whether under our commitments to the UN or in Europe. We want the Defence Forces to be more professional, better equipped, better trained, younger and to have the kind of equipment which enables it to perform the tasks required of it.
Last year we spent £210,000 on each of the DROPS, 12 of which are now in operation in Kosovo where 100 men and women are stationed. They can travel on any terrain and can transport food, timber and building requirements or whatever else. Nowadays there must be the support, technology, equipment and flexibility to perform these tasks.
That is my point. Is it not the case that we must pay for EU missions, whereas UN missions were paid for? We must carry out the Petersberg Tasks and we will have to pay for it. Is that not the issue here?
I do not think so. I answered this question on the last occasion. We are developing a strong economy. The UN has considerable problems in getting the necessary financial resources and it is already in considerable arrears. It is also in arrears with us for operations in UNIFIL of approximately £8 million or £9 million.
As our economy becomes stronger we want to provide proper equipment for the members of the Defence Forces. We do not want to put out our hand and to be dependent on others to be able to meet our commitments. It is all right if there are funds available from the UN for our operations there, but this country is an independent republic and it should try to serve on a humanitarian basis. This means moving into problem areas in different parts of the world. We should do the best we can in such circumstances, not only in terms of providing the Defence Forces and the necessary equipment, but also in terms of financial support. While that is what will be expected of us, we should also do it by right.
I am concerned about the Minister's reply to my last question. He appeared to infer that the driving force for this rationalisation in the military areas will be funded from the sale of assets. I do not see how that will happen. A sum of £50 million was identified in the first instance, while in previous responses the Minister indicated that more money would have to be realised to pay for the revisions he has in mind.
From the point of view of the morale of the Army and the Defence Forces generally and the need to maintain a worthwhile Army, does the Minister consider it advisable to have as a common denominator the need to sell assets to pay for it? If one goes down that road one will eventually end up with no Army. I am concerned with the tone of the Minster's replies to questions on this aspect.
I visited Fermoy recently. The site that was previously the Fitzgerald Camp was sold to the local authority and to the IDA for the development of local enterprise. In addition, an acre was allocated to the FCA and the church was bequeathed to the parish. All the local representatives were delighted with this because they had the opportunity to develop this very valuable site.
Funds from these transactions are not the only ones being put into equipment. The new plan proposes an additional £30 million per year for ten years. This year, outside of all of these developments, my Department expended £62 million on equipment and refurbishment. The Deputy must take these three components into account.
