A former soldier who had given 44 years' service to the Army was asked to move out of his accommodation in the Curragh four months after retiring, Independent TD Clare Daly told the Dáil.
She said the man, who had been living in the Army accommodation for 34 years, was told by Kildare County Council he did not qualify for social housing. "He has been on to the bank and was told he does not have enough money and he is too old to get a mortgage,'' she added. "That family is one example but there are others who have nowhere to go.''
Ms Daly said there was a total lack of humanity and compassion being shown to families who had given loyal service to the State and the Department of Defence. The department, as their employer, had a duty of care to them, she added.
Married quarters
Minister for Defence Alan Shatter said that in February 1997 the then minister set out a policy on married quarters on the basis they were largely an anachronism and that they should be discontinued in a managed and orderly way. Since then, the department had discontinued the practice of providing accommodation. In addition, Mr Shatter said, given the age of the housing stock, it had been found that over time the properties required a significant and disproportionate investment to ensure compliance with regulations covering rental properties.
"Personnel are obliged, under Defence Force regulations, to vacate married quarters within a specified period of being discharged from the permanent Defence Force, something which the deputy chooses to ignore entirely,'' he added.
Social housing
Mr Shatter said his officials had met with Kildare County Council to ensure they could advise former members of the Defence Forces and their families of procedures and requirements when making applications for social housing.
Ms Daly said the Minister should engage humanely with the estimated 75 families involved nationally.
“These people paid substantial amounts of rent and, indeed, when they retire from the forces they pay more rent,” she added.
Mr Shatter said he accepted it was a difficult issue for some families and the department had sought to deal with it in as careful a manner as possible.
“However, at the end of the day, this was accommodation only provided to families during the term of a person being a member of the Defence Forces,’’ he added.
