PDFORRA rejects calculation of savings from closing barracks

The association that represents members of the Defence Forces, PDFORRA, has rejected suggestions from the Department of Defence that millions could be saved through closing barracks.

The Department suggested to the Public Accounts Committee last week that closures could yield savings of €5m because it would free up barrack support staff to work in operational roles.

PDFORRA said all members of the Defence Forces already multi-tasked, and that most support staff were frequently assigned to operational roles.

They also took issue with the way the Department calculated the savings, using an average salary of €50,000. PDFORRA said its members earned, on average, €37,000 a year.