§ Mr. Biggs- Davisonasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of constructing the new Armagh Barracks; which contractors were concerned; what is the annual running cost; what extensions and improvements remain to be added, and at what cost; and what is the expected life of the buildings.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownThe contract for the construction of the new Army accommodation at Armagh was awarded to the Northern Ireland firm of H. & J. Martin & Co. The work was carried out in 1975–76 at a cost of £2.9 million. As this accommodation has not yet had 12 months of occupied life annual running costs can only be estimated. They are expected to be of the order of £130,000 per annum including all mains services as well as the maintenance of the buildings. The accommodation, which was provided in order to release Gough Barracks while retaining a military presence in South Armagh, has an expected life of the order of 20 years. The buildings are to emergency scales of accommodation for a battalion headquarters and two companies, and for this purpose no further extensions or improvements are planned.
The neighbouring accommodation for the UDR has been completed but is not included in the cost of £2.9 million.