Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I compliment Deputy Burton on tabling the motion, given that the recent "Prime Time" programme on this issue was sobering. I will limit my remarks to the performance of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, who is one of the worst offenders in wasting taxpayer's money. He recently spent €29.9 million on a site for a new prison in north County Dublin, which was between eight and ten times the market value, without following proper tendering or selection procedures. The new prison, which will replace Mountjoy Prison, will result in the demolition of the recently built new women's prison, the Dóchas centre, which cost €19.3 million, and the new special school at St. Patrick's Institution, which was completed 12 months ago at a cost of €8.3 million but was never opened. An exorbitant fee of €2.5 million has been spent on fire safety in the training unit and that will also be demolished. Over the past eight years, the Minister and his predecessor have wasted more than €45 million on capital projects in a prison that will be demolished and another €29.9 million on land for a prison that may never be built.

Over the past three years the Minister has closed five prisons at Shanganagh Castle, the Curragh, Fort Mitchel, Spike Island, Loughan House and Shelton Abbey, containing approximately 500 prison places, in his row with prison officers about overtime. He recently taunted them with the gratuitous remark, "You can't beat City Hall", and then refused to attend their representative association's annual conference, exacerbating the three-year crisis. This industrial relations dispute will continue while the Government is in office.

The wasteful approach on prisons has been compounded by a similar attitude to accommodation for asylum seekers. Broc House, Donnybrook, in the Minister's constituency, purchased for a whopping €9.2 million to accommodate asylum seekers but which has not been used in the five years since its purchase, exemplifies the gross wastage of taxpayers' money. Parnell West Hotel in my constituency was purchased for €3.55 million in 2001 to accommodate asylum seekers. It lies idle having been condemned as dangerous on health and safety grounds. Was a proper structural examination conducted by the OPW and, if so, why was the property purchased?

Earlier this year, the Minister purchased a large bed and breakfast establishment on Gardiner Street, Dublin, for €2 million. Suspiciously, the accommodation changed hands shortly before the contract for asylum seeker accommodation was granted. He recently purchased the Jesuit centre at Hatch Hall, Lower Hatch Street, Dublin, for a massive €15 million for asylum seekers. Why was this purchased, given all the accommodation lying idle, which has been surplus to requirements for years?

This is all a dreadful waste of taxpayers' money. Money has been spent on a brand new prison that is about to be demolished, an outrageous amount was spent on land for a prison that may never be built, five prisons closed for no good reason, property purchased for accommodation of asylum seekers was never used or was too decrepit and unfit to use and money was spent on more property for them this year even though the number of those seeking asylum has reduced by 75% over the past three years. After only two years in government, the Minister had spent €29.3 million on consultancy services but the most extravagant of his deals has been the sale of the Department's offices on St. Stephen's Green for €52 million and the transfer of the Department to rented accommodation down the street. The Progressive Democrats and Fianna Fáil are playing fast and loose with taxpayers' money. The description of this range of activities by one Minister over three years is nothing short of criminal.

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