Results 2,121-2,140 of 18,726 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy suggested that the price is hugely inflated when compared to what was available on the market. A series of advertisements were placed in the national media and the committee considered all the offers that came forward. Many of these involved substantially higher sums of money per acre than that being asked in respect of the site in question. Bearing in mind that the site is located...

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I made several efforts to meet the residents of the area. The arranged meetings have been postponed at the request of the residents.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I note the Deputy's consistent policy that Mountjoy Prison should remain where it is located at present. I am not willing to waste €400 million on a development to provide an inadequate prison.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: The question of redeveloping Mountjoy — the Deputy's preferred option——

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: ——was considered by a group established by my predecessor and chaired by Governor Lonergan.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: The group reported in February 2001 and proposed a development which was——

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: ——priced at that time by a firm of quantity surveyors as being in the region of €336 million.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am not ranting.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am merely outlining the facts but the Deputy does not appear to want to hear them.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I would be happy to appear——

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I remind the Deputies opposite that when their parties were in office, nothing was done about these matters.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: What I am doing is developing a modern prison system for this country. Deputy Costello and people close to him want to keep Mountjoy in the city centre at a cost of €400 million——

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: ——to the Irish taxpayer. My response to that is "No way, José". I will not go down that road.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am not ranting. It is interesting that the Deputies opposite like to impart facts but they do not like to receive them.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: The intention is to build state-of-the-art facilities for adult male and female prisoners as well as other facilities on the new site at Thorntown, County Dublin. However, until a site was acquired, final decisions could not be made on the full range of facilities to be located there. Detailed planning is now under way. It will not be possible to give any reliable estimate of total cost until...

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: On behalf of the people who participated in the selection procedure, all of whom are people of the highest integrity and public servants in this State and none of whom took direction from me, I reject the Deputy's suggestion that their activities stink to high heaven. I regard that as an unworthy charge against them and I refute it completely. As I understand it, from the minutes that have...

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: It is open to the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Committee of Public Accounts and the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights to summon any of the persons concerned before them to answer how they carried out their functions.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: The phrase "stinks to high heaven" suggests that somehow there was something egregiously wrong and corrupt, amounting to maladministration, in the way these people carried out their functions. If the Deputy looks at the record, he will see they had fixed on another site and that the vendor in that case opted out of the purchase at a late stage in the proceedings.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy will find the vendor opted out.

Garda Equipment. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am informed by the Garda authorities that a performance review of the PULSE system is being undertaken with a view to improving its speed in certain respects. I am also informed that the PULSE system can be modified and adapted to meet new demands of the operational service. The review will be to hand, I understand, by the summer. In addition, a review of the effectiveness of PULSE is a...