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Vol. 881 Tuesday, No. 1 9 June 2015 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES DÁIL ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Ceisteanna - Questions 2 09/06/2015A00200Priority Questions 2 09/06/2015A00300Defence Forces Property 2 09/06/2015C00450Naval Service Operations �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������4 09/06/2015D00500Naval Service Operations �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6 09/06/2015F00350Defence Forces Properties 8 09/06/2015H00300Overseas Missions 10 09/06/2015J00325Other Questions 12 09/06/2015J00350Defence Forces Medicinal Products 12 09/06/2015M00150Naval Service Operations ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������15 09/06/2015O00150Defence Forces Equipment 17 09/06/2015P00400Naval Service Operations ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������19 09/06/2015P01000Leaders’ Questions 20 09/06/2015T00100Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������31 09/06/2015T00200Overseas Visits 31 09/06/2015X00450Constitutional Convention Recommendations 40 09/06/2015Z00800Order of Business 45 09/06/2015CC03100Fiscal Responsibility (Amendment) Bill 2015: First Stage 53 09/06/2015DD00800Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2015: First Stage 54 09/06/2015DD01600Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2015: First Stage 56 09/06/2015EE00700Joint Committees: Motion 57 09/06/2015EE01000Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions: Motion 58 09/06/2015EE01300Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann of the Terms of the Statute of the International Renewable Energy Agency: Motion 58 09/06/2015EE01600Personal Explanation by Minister 58 09/06/2015FF00100Draft Commission of Investigation (Certain matters concerning transactions entered into by IBRC) Order 2015: Motion 61 09/06/2015SSS01800Message from Select Sub-Committee 145 DÁIL ÉIREANN Dé Máirt, 9 Meitheamh 2015 Tuesday, 9 June 2015 Chuaigh an Leas-Cheann Comhairle i gceannas ar 2 pm Paidir. Prayer. 09/06/2015A00100Ceisteanna - Questions 09/06/2015A00200Priority Questions 09/06/2015A00300Defence Forces Property 09/06/2015A00400107 Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence if he will ensure that all cur- rent overholders at the Curragh in County Kildare may remain in their current residence for the duration of the current housing crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter [21737/15] 09/06/2015A00500Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl: My question deals with the issue of overholders at the Curragh camp A small number of overholders remain at the camp and my question focuses on the hous- ing crisis that exists both nationally and in County Kildare I ask if, at least for the duration of the housing crisis, the Minister and his Department will desist from pressurising people out of their homes on the Curragh camp 09/06/2015A00600Minister for Defence (Deputy Simon Coveney): Personnel who leave the Defence Forces or who vacate a married quarter property that had been assigned to them are required under reg- ulations to return vacant possession of that property Where the property is not vacated, those remaining in the property are overholding and, as they have no right under military regulations to hold or reside in military accommodation, the Department will in accordance with normal procedures continue to seek to recover possession from them While each case of overholding is dealt with on an individual basis, it is important to remember that the Department does not have a role in the provision of housing accommodation for the general public The Department does however assist in whatever way it can in order to resolve the cases of overholding without recourse to legal action, as it is preferable not to have to use legal means to obtain vacant pos- session of the properties concerned If individuals are not in a position to secure housing in their own right, it may be the case that they qualify for social housing or that they qualify for 2 9 June 2015 some level of housing assistance and, when requested to do so, the Department provides what- ever documentation it can to support such applications The Deputy can be assured that my Department will deal with any overholders in a vulner- able position in a sensitive manner and will where possible work with the local authorities to help find solutions to the current overholding problem with due consideration. What I cannot do, though, is to give the Deputy a blanket commitment that everybody can stay in their prop- erty if they want to, until the pressures on housing demand ease That is essentially saying that after people leave the Defence Forces, even in a military camp, they can stay in the accommo- dation they have been in while in the Defence Forces There are all sorts of reasons we cannot do that 09/06/2015B00200Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I appreciate the Minister’s goodwill on this matter However, there is a certain irony, if not an element of the perverse, in what we see happening The Min- ister responded very positively in respect of the national homelessness crisis in the aftermath of the death of Jonathan Corrie outside this House I raised the issue with him at an Estimates meeting and he responded positively, stating that his Department would take action In fact, he made St Bricin’s hospital available to deal with the homelessness situation Is it not extraor- dinary that he has moved to deal with the homelessness situation in Dublin, while at the same time, during this crisis, his Department is forcing people out of properties in the Curragh Camp and thereby contributing to the homelessness problem in Kildare, where 6,500 people are on the waiting list and 250 people are currently homeless or at risk of homelessness? He is moving people out of these houses so that the houses can be knocked down or boarded up 09/06/2015B00300Deputy Simon Coveney: The Deputy will know that the housing challenges faced by Kildare County Council can hardly be put on me We have tried to be as helpful as we can in respect of people who are still in properties they should legally have vacated a long time ago in most cases They knew that when they joined the Defence Forces They knew the rules We are not putting anybody out of houses and onto the streets, so let us not allow that impression to get out We have said that we will look at each case individually If people are in a vulnerable position we will take that into account, as we have been doing We will talk to Kildare County Council to try to prioritise housing if people want to go on the housing list However, we cannot maintain a position whereby, because it is expensive or difficult to find a house, non-members of the Defence Forces can stay indefinitely in a barracks. Even for security reasons, there are issues with that We will try to be as accommodating and helpful as we can, but we must recog- nise that the Department of Defence is not a housing organisation 09/06/2015B00400Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl: The people who have lived on the Curragh Camp, going back before the establishment of the State, were people who had an intrinsic connection with the Defence Forces The camp was not just an army camp; it was a garrison settlement The Minis- ter’s predecessors, including people from my party, were wrong when they signed up to a policy of depopulation of the Curragh Camp We can have a lengthy debate about that some other time, but currently there is a shortage of houses in County Kildare I accept that an economic contribution should be made to the Minister’s Department by anybody occupying a house, but if the Minister forces people out of the accommodation they have in the Curragh they will inevi- tably move towards homelessness, because Kildare County Council has nothing to offer them, no matter how much the Minister talks to it Homelessness is inevitable 09/06/2015B00500Deputy Simon Coveney: Just so that the facts are clear, of the 27 overholders in the Cur- ragh, ten are not paying rent and five of those are not paying any electricity charges either.