CONCERNS have been raised among Defence Forces representatives about an expected influx of new and transferred personnel without a corresponding spend on facilities at Sarsfield Barracks in the city. Under the new organisational proposals, the Defence Forces are reducing the number of brigades which they have, and will be moving hundreds of personnel from some areas of the country to others. No personnel are expected to be moved from Limerick but it is anticipated that several hundred soldiers from Cork may be transferred to Sarsfield Barracks.
In addition to this, the force is currently recruiting to expand its ranks by 600 in various disciplines
But the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA,) says there is confusion about the move and has warned that infrastructure and facilities could come under pressure with the influx to Limerick city.
“We would expect that this will not all happen at once, it will be over a period of time so, initially, the barracks and existing personnel in Limerick should be able to cope,” Gerry Rooney, General Secretary of PDFORRA, told the Limerick Post.
But he added that further down the line, there may be serious pressure on the facilities an space at the barracks unless the department spends money on upgrading and facilitating in some areas.
PDFORRA says it is “unclear” at this point whether defence personnel are going to be told where to go or if they will have choices.
“We want to see our members having choice because there are many who might want to relocate to Limerick.
“We don’t want to see people forced into anything. We also want to see them being given a choice of upskilling or retraining. There are some areas where we don’t have enough qualified personnel and others where we have too man. It’s a matter of matching one to the other,” Mr Rooney said.
Reducing the number of personnel engaged in headquarters, admin and allied support tasks is a central element to the reorganisation process, according to PDFORRA
