Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Harristown House, which cost €450,000 to run last year, treats up to 100 residents per annum and has a 65% success rate, in other words, two thirds of residents do not reoffend and stay sober. The facility has been operating for ten years and employs 20 staff. Did the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform contact the Minister of State, Deputy Curran, and, if so, did he explain the reason for the decision to close down this valuable facility?

As the Minister of State will be aware, according to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, it costs €100,000 per annum to keep a young offender in prison, whereas Harristown House operated at an overall cost of €450,000 per annum. A number of reports have been published on this issue, including one entitled, Treating Addiction, Tackling Crime, which provided an excellent evaluation of Harristown House. Given that all the stakeholders, including the probation and welfare service and Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, were satisfied with the facility, why was it necessary to close it down?

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