Vol. 536 No. 2
70 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Defence the progress made to date in upgrading barracks; the works that will be completed during the course of 2001; the estimated cost of same; and the moneys it is expected the State will receive during 2001 from the sale of barracks and adjacent property. [13860/01]
187 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Defence the progress made to date in upgrading barracks; the works that will be completed during the course of 2001; the estimated cost of same; and the moneys it is expected the State will receive during 2001 from the sale of barracks and adjacent property. [13885/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 70 and 187 together.
The position is that a special reinvestment programme was initiated by my Department in 1999 to complement expenditure on the normal range of building and engineering works for the purpose of providing modern living, operational and training accommodation for the Defence Forces. The special programme is centred on the Curragh Camp and on Collins Barracks, Cork.
Details of the progress made to date in this programme, together with projects being carried out in other military barracks nationwide are set out in the following table:
|
Project Description |
Location |
To be completedin 2001 |
To be completedin 2002 |
Cost£m |
|
New swimming Pool and Gymnasium |
Curragh Camp |
Yes |
6.10 |
|
|
Clarke Barracks – Blocks A & B (Accommodation) |
Curragh Camp |
Yes |
1.26 |
|
|
Group Stores 1, 2, 3 and 4 |
Curragh Camp |
Yes |
5.45 |
|
|
Transport Technical Stores |
Curragh Camp |
Yes |
1.80 |
|
|
Ordnance/Transport School |
Curragh Camp |
early 2002 |
2.62 |
|
|
8 Block Plunkett and 3 Block Connolly (Workshop & Stores) |
Curragh Camp |
Yes |
2.90 |
|
|
Connolly Barracks-Student Accom |
Curragh Camp |
Yes |
2.56 |
|
|
Combat Support College |
Curragh Camp |
early 2002 |
5.40 |
|
|
NCO's Mess – East |
Curragh Camp |
Yes |
2.10 |
|
|
Dining Complex/NCO's Mess West |
Curragh Camp |
mid 2002 |
3.60 |
|
|
Men's Dining Hall, Collins Bks |
Cork |
Completed |
1.73 |
|
|
NCO's Mess, Collins Barracks |
Cork |
Yes |
1.40 |
|
|
New Storage Facility, Collins Bks |
Cork |
Yes |
2.60 |
|
|
Gymnasium, Collins Barracks |
Cork |
Yes |
1.95 |
|
|
P & Q Block, Cathal Brugha Bks (Accommodation) |
Dublin |
Yes |
0.74 |
|
Project Description |
Location |
To be completedin 2001 |
To be completedin 2002 |
Cost£m |
|
Communications/Engineering Building Cathal Brugha Bks |
Dublin |
Completed |
2.27 |
|
|
New Transport Workshops |
Casement |
Yes |
4.80 |
|
|
Total |
45.28 |
Some 90% of projects have been completed this year. Sales agreed to date amount to more than £17 million. Receipt of these moneys depends on progress in finalising contracts. Sales of these and other properties, for example, Clancy Barracks, Islandbridge, and Murphy Barracks, Ballincollig, should realise a total revenue well in excess of £50 million.
There is another question on the Order Paper which is related to this. The Minister may have answered it in his reply. The Minister for Finance requested an audit of all State lands, which each Department was required to return by 31 December 2000. Will the Minister indicate whether he has returned an audit to the Minister for Finance? If he has, will he furnish us with a copy of it? If he has not, when he will do so?
I am unable to tell the Deputy whether an audit was done for the Minister for Finance. However, an audit has been done for the Department, and I am prepared to furnish such particulars to the Deputy. It is my intention to carry out an exacting exercise on the total property portfolio. A number of properties in Galway, Cork and elsewhere have been sold for quite significant sums, all of which are being dedicated to the purposes outlined here. These projects can go ahead because of the change in policy on the sale and disposal of these properties.
Has that audit been forwarded to the Minister for Finance? Will the Minister agree that getting rid of the family silver may mean that a new Minister, possibly Deputy Shatter, will have nothing to play around with in a few months' time?
Deputy Timmins usually tries to be serious in this House, but he is laughing now because he knows some of these properties should have been disposed of a long time ago. The advantage is that now we will have full use of the funds to develop the Defence Forces, as was not hitherto the position. I do not envisage any future Minister for Finance purchasing lands anywhere in the country.
What assessment has been made of the impact of sales of lands on the training capacity of the Defence Forces? Is there a plan in place that will ensure there are adequate facilities to allow the Defence Forces to undertake all necessary training both in the context of domestic obligations and of possible future international obligations?
The Deputy is moving away from the substance of the question.
Training is a very important component of military activities, and we must ensure there are adequate facilities for it. When I first visited the Curragh Camp, I was quite ashamed by what I found. However, the camp has been transformed and is now our main training centre. The new facilities have enhanced the camp significantly. Much of what we are doing enhances the training capacity and provides for different kinds of buildings, facilities and equipment. In cases where the disposal of property would impinge on training, the military authorities bring forward alternative proposals. I am not disposing of property if the long-term needs of the Defence Forces in terms of financial resources and training requirements cannot be satisfied.
In the context of the Minister's reply—
The time has expired for this question. We must confine the time to six minutes.
