I join others in wishing Noel Murphy a long and peaceful retirement. I thank him for his contribution as a member of staff here in Leinster House.

I wish to raise the issue of accommodation for members of the Defence Forces. Over the years, accommodation was available on site in Army barracks. Much of that was allowed to fall into disrepair. An announcement has been made in respect of Collins Barracks in Cork. Will projects to build accommodation for general Army personnel and officers on Army property be fast-tracked? There is space to do this. We have major challenges in this area. This is one way in which we can respond. If we put out minds to it, we could provide the necessary infrastructure within a short timeframe.

To be fair, much work is being done. I visited the headquarters of the Naval Service in Haulbowline recently. Significant modernisation of an accommodation block has taken place, and there will be further investment in accommodation in Haulbowline. The accommodation that has been refurbished is of a very high quality. Similarly, in the context of other barracks, I have instructed that there be no demolition of any housing and that investment be made in accommodation in barracks across the country. There are already programmes under way in respect of those in training. I refer to people who are coming in to do various training programmes over shorter timeframes. In my view, this is an additional strand to make life more manageable for many people in terms of certain locations where rent is high.