NO JOBS were lost in the closure of Army barracks, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said.
“The fact is that the location of personnel in a large number of places has been a major difficulty in the provision of essential training and in terms of safeguarding the barracks concerned and the additional costs that are imposed thereby,’’ he added.
Mr Kenny said that in areas where barracks had closed in the past 10 or 15 years, personnel had not moved from where they lived and the local economy was still the beneficiary of wages and salaries.
Mr Kenny said he had earlier accepted Minister of State Willie Penrose’s resignation with regret.
He commended him on his activities as a junior minister for housing in embracing constructive propositions and difficult decisions. “I can understand any deputy having to make a decision like he made,’’ Mr Kenny added.
“But this is a case where the Cabinet has to make decisions and that is our job . . . the mandate we were given to sort out the problems of this country.’’
The Taoiseach was replying to Joe Higgins (Socialist Party) who said the economic dislocation to the towns concerned, particularly Mullingar, Clonmel and Cavan, with about 200 soldiers in each barracks, would be considerable.
He said Mr Kenny could not say that there would be no job losses, given that people would have to move and those who provided services for them in the local economy would suffer.
He asked if Mr Penrose’s resignation was giving Fine Gael and the Labour Party pause for thought. “Deputy Penrose has been here since my own days in the Labour Party, which is almost longer ago than I care to remember,’’ said Mr Higgins.
“Obviously he has a significant history in the party and his resignation must be taken seriously.’’
Mr Higgins challenged the “dozens of new Labour Party deputies” to say what their position was. “Are they prepared to sit here and see soldiers and towns and local economies destroyed in this way?’’ he asked. The Government should reconsider the closures, he said.
“What is the rationale for the decision when it cannot even use an economic argument?’’ he asked.
Mr Kenny said that the savings involved would be in the order of €5 million, with efficiencies of about €1.3 million annually.
The proceeds of the sale of the barracks would be used to fund the upgrading of Defence Forces equipment and infrastructure. Mr Kenny said that a travel expense allowance was payable for nine months to personnel who moved to a new barracks and there was a relocation expense for those wishing to avail of it.
“There are some difficult decisions to be taken in the time ahead,’’ he said. “The deputy will decry all of them, but believe me, these decisions are made in the best interests of our country.”
