Robert Troy
Question:336. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Defence the number of persons employed in the Athlone Army barracks in County Roscommon. [29647/15]
View answerThursday, 16 July 2015
Questions (336)
Written answers
I am informed by the military authorities that on the 30th of June, 2015, 947 military personnel were employed in Custume Barracks, Athlone. I am further informed that preparations are underway for the induction of 40 army recruits into the barracks in August 2015.
Custume Barracks is and will continue to be an important operational military barracks. There are no plans to change this.
The following revised reply was received on 4 November 2015
New recruits are not being trained in Custume Barracks as the contingent for the German Battlegroup - amounting to some 166 personnel - is being concentrated and trained there. As a result, there is limited capacity to train recruits in Athlone at present. Irrespective of where new recruits are trained, once they have passed out they are assigned to different barracks. As such, the question of whether recruits are trained in Athlone or not, is immaterial to the numbers serving in Athlone at any particular times.