Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

The Irish Prison Service and my Department have set out the detailed specifications of what is required for the prison. Some Members asked why the Office of Public Works was not involved as it was in other prison developments. This is not the same as any other prison development as it is a public private partnership.

Maintenance simply means the maintenance of the buildings and plant, nothing else. The Irish Prison Service will continue to have full operational responsibility for the running of the prison and interaction with prisoners.

The preferred bidder is a consortium of McNamara, Barclays Private Equity and GSL. It will build the prison and receive no payment until it is built and handed over in working order. Payments will be made on an annual basis for 25 years, at which stage the prison will become the sole responsibility of the Irish Prison Service.

See this speech in context