Deputy Nicky McFadden has discussed the issues surrounding the transfer of army personnel from Mullingar to Athlone with Minister for Defence Alan Shatter following the announcement last week that Columb Barracks will be closing.
“Following the Government’s decision to transfer army personnel from Mullingar to Athlone, I contacted Minister Shatter to clarify a number of points I was very concerned about relating to the standard of accommodation in Athlone and the transfer of weapons,” Deputy McFadden said.
“Minister Shatter has assured me that there is no question of people being accommodated in a condemned building in Athlone nor in a building that does not meet the minimum standard.
“Over the coming weeks officials from the Department and Defence Forces engineers will be visiting Athlone to prepare a detailed long-term plan to provide the required accommodation to facilitate those transferring from Mullingar and Cavan. This plan is likely to follow the precedent that was successful during the 2009 barrack closure programme. At that time a range of temporary facilities were provided while the arrangements for the construction of more permanent facilities were put in place,” Deputy McFadden said.
“Once the barracks in Mullingar closes and the full-time personnel transfer to Athlone, they will no longer have access to the barracks, so the question of daily transfer of weapons between the two locations will not arise. At present the RDF use facilities in Mullingar one night a week for training purposes.”
“It is essential now that the Department of Defence works with the soldiers and personnel so that their transition is as smooth as possible,” Deputy McFadden said.
