Results 4,501-4,520 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: ——and what is the public sector benchmark.

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The disclosure of commercially sensitive information——

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: ——could prejudice our position in the negotiation of future contracts. Obviously, there are significant moneys involved.

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Will Deputy Burton stop interrupting and pointing her finger at me?

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: A prison development announced for the North of Ireland in December 2007 to house 800 inmates will cost £200 million. Regarding the Thornton Hall proposal, no contract has been signed and no information which could help a bidder in any way can be revealed. The public private partnership process requires strict financial assessment of both the project and bidders. The preferred bidder is...

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Would the Deputy have some manners?

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I hear this prattling from her ladyship. Would she, please, have some manners?

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Government made a decision that when the Thornton Hall site was purchased, 20 acres would be set aside for the Central Mental Hospital. There is agreement on both sides of the House that the existing hospital in Dundrum needs to be replaced with a new facility. A project team was established by the Department of Health and Children which recommended that a new site should be located...

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I do not accept any accusation of arrogance concerning the Dóchas Centre. As I said at the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights, the Dóchas issue sticks out like a sore thumb. If one looks at the percentage of bed capacity over an extended period, there is gross overcapacity at the Dóchas Centre, over which I am not prepared to stand. Many of the measures...

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Today, only 6% of prisoners are on temporary release. Shame on the Deputy for overseeing that regime.

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The maintenance is to do with the building and is nothing to do with the running of the prison and the interaction with prisoners. The issue of having maintenance as part of the contract and the transferring of risk to the contractor is a core element of these PPPs. Over the 25 years of the contract period, the maintenance aspect is part of the transfer of risk to the contractor. It would...

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I gave the answer.

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I suppose if anyone wants lectures on piety, they do not have to go too far beyond looking at the Deputy, who is on a pedestal every day of the week in this House.

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: He fell off his pedestal after the election, as I told him recently at the committee.

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: As I told the Deputy earlier at the committee, I have no information to suggest anything other than that the present consortium will be able to meet the requirements under the tendering process. There are other bidders and if the present preferred bidder is not able to come up to the requirements on this, the other bidders would come into the loop.

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: No contracts have been signed but, as I said, there is a preferred bidder.

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Depending on what happens, flowing hopefully from the consent the House gives under the terms of the resolution before us, those negotiations can be finalised with the preferred bidder. I have been as frank as I can concerning the Lusk issue. The preferred location for under-18 male prisoners would be in this facility but if it is not up and running we will be able to use the modular...

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: ——when we are building a brand new facility with plenty of opportunity for implementing segregated male and female prison locations within that site. It makes absolutely no sense from a financial or operational viewpoint. The strong advice is that, despite the fact that the Dóchas centre in itself has worked well, because of the current over-capacity there it is imperative to move to...

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The 100-bed unit which could be used for people who have come to the notice of the immigration authorities, purely and simply concerns deportees, people who are awaiting deportation. In some existing prisons they mix with other prisoners. This will be a segregated location but there will not be a separate location for asylum seekers as a method of detention for them, other than those who...

Prison Building Programme: Motion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: On the flooding issue——