Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Is Senator Kelly giving some of his time to Senator Leyden?

John Kelly (Labour)
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I do not mind. I can give him one minute. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This matter is of great concern to all Oireachtas Members in County Roscommon. Harristown House is a unit adjacent to the prison in Castlerea. Historically, this was an open unit used to deal with prisoners with problems from drug misuse. When St. Patrick's Hospital in Castlerea closed, the people in the area believed that the prison in the area would benefit the town, as there would be many prison officers and staff employed, with many wage packets floating around. The reality is that the prisoners came but the prison officers did not look to reside in Castlerea, with the majority residing 20 or 30 miles away. There was no great contribution to the economy in Castlerea.

It is with great regret that people see that this unit is bringing no benefit to the people, and it has brought a certain level of criminality to the town. It may be proposed that "lifers", or those people with life sentences, mainly for murder, coming to the end of their sentences may be housed in this new unit at Harristown House.

This is coupled with fewer Garda numbers on the beat and the closure of Garda stations around the county. To this degree, many elderly people are frightened. I seek assurance from the Minister for Justice and Equality that so-called lifers will not be housed in the open unit. Will the Minister of State ask the Minister for these assurances on my behalf and that of the people of Castlerea?

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming here. It is nice to see him and Ms Emer Costello here together. She has acquitted herself very well and was a tour de force.

I thank Senator Kelly for sharing his time with me and allowing me one minute. There should be consultation with Oireachtas Members and the people of Castlerea with regard to the matter. It was brought to my attention by Councillor Paschal Fitzmaurice, a local councillor in Castlerea. As I said this morning, a meeting will be held at Tully's Hotel, Castlerea, to discuss the matter. People are genuinely concerned about the matter and fear the unknown. About a year ago, two Romanians escaped from Castlerea Prison. There was no closed circuit television so nobody knows how they got out of the main prison.

People are deeply concerned about Harristown House and would prefer if it was used for rehabilitation again. Mr. Danny Burke, a former councillor, was chairman of the committee when Harristown House was a successful rehabilitation unit. The people of Castlerea would be very supportive of the venue being restored to its former use, particularly as it led to jobs and activity in the area. People are afraid of the unknown because they would not be able to control who resides in Harristown House.

I do not have to pay ¤5 to the Cathaoirleach because I bet that the Minister for Justice and Equality would not come to the House today. However, I respect the position of Minister of State because I was one myself and acted on behalf of other Ministers. I support Senator Kelly's view and request that the Minister for Justice and Equality meets public and community representatives before the unit opens. I presume, following tonight's public meeting in Castlerea, that there will be a call for the Minister to meet the community and Oireachtas Members to discuss the issue before the venue is occupied by so-called lifers or prisoners finishing their sentences.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I thank both Senators for their contributions. I thank Senator Kelly for tabling the motion and Senator Leyden for his contribution. I shall answer on behalf of the Minister and he asked me to apologise for him.

The Minister wishes to respond directly to Senator Kelly's question as to whether life sentence prisoners will be housed at Harristown House. The Minister's officials are still considering options for the optimal use of the facility but I am advised that the facility will not be restricted to housing prisoners in that category.

By way of background, Harristown House is a 22-room, two storey house constructed circa 1920. The house is located directly adjacent to Castlerea Prison and, until recently, was used by the Probation Service to house people in its care. At that time people, usually with drug related problems, were dealt with by the Probation Service at the house. The house was unoccupied and unused for approximately four years and was in a state of considerable disrepair following water damage incurred as a result of the very harsh winter of 2010-11.

I am sure that Senators Kelly and Leyden will agree that in the current economic climate, it is undesirable for State-owned property to be left unoccupied and unused in circumstances where a potential or possible use for that property has been identified. In that regard, following an examination, it was considered that the property was suitable for refurbishment in order that it could be used as a low security accommodation unit for 15 to 18 prisoners who could be located there as part of a scheme to encourage good behaviour and trustworthiness among prisoners as part of their sentence management. Prisoners in Harristown House will be employed in the orchard, the grounds and local community projects under the control of the industrial manager.

Obviously, the length of time spent there would depend on a number of factors, including time already served and time left to serve. In that regard, while no decision has yet been made as to the category of prisoner, by reference to sentence length, nature of offence and so on, to be housed there, I can assure the Senator that the normal considerations in relation to risk assessment will apply before any prisoner is transferred to the house. In the day-to-day management of the prison system, these risk assessments are made on a regular basis by the Minister's officials in the Irish Prison Service. For example, they consider the suitability of the transfer of prisoners from closed prisons and institutions to open prisons and lower security facilities.

When considering the suitability of prisoners for transfer to lower security institutions, the Minister's officials consider a number of factors, including the safety of the public, specifically flight risk, the nature and gravity of the offence, and the length of sentence served and remaining. Therefore, while I cannot at this stage inform the Senator as to the precise type of prisoner to be housed at Harristown House, I can advise that the usual stringent eligibility criteria, which apply to other prisoners being moved to lower security prisons and institutions, will be considered and assessed. Open centres and lower level security settings are vital tools in the reintegration and rehabilitation of prisoners. They encourage an ethos of independent living and offer a transition between custody and community-family life. When the refurbishment works at Harristown House are completed and the house is ready for occupation, it will provide an additional and valuable resource to the Irish Prison Service in managing the transition from prison life to open living in the community. The Minister is sure that the Senators will appreciate the benefits of this addition to the prison estate. I thank Senator Kelly for raising the matter and tabling the motion.

John Kelly (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State. Thankfully, I was privy to the response and read it earlier because Deputy Denis Naughten tabled the matter in the Dáil under Topical Issues yesterday. He received exactly the same response except this morning my title of Senator was substituted for Deputy. I shall quote one line from the response given to the Deputy: "While several options remain under consideration for the optimal use of the facility, I can say that I am advised that the facility will not be restricted to housing prisoners in that category." The start of the sentence led me to believe that the Minister was suggesting that he was not going to put so-called lifers into the facility, but that is not true. It also suggests that so-called lifers will be housed there and we do not know who else. Towards the end of the response yesterday, the Minister said that "the safety of the public" will be a serious consideration. If that is the case, then I agree with Senator Leyden's call to organise for a deputation of Oireachtas Members for Roscommon to meet the Minister. I would appreciate it if the Minister of State, Deputy Costello, could organise the deputation on our behalf.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I thank the Senator for his remarks. It seems to me that the Minister is really saying that there is no category excluded per se but that the usual eligibility criteria, in terms of assessment, management and care, will be employed. It is so that prisoners are not released cold into the community without some temporary release being availed of. The measure prepares prisoners for release and safeguards the public.

With regard to the request for the Minister to meet a delegation to discuss a concern about so-called lifers, I shall speak to the Minister about it. I shall forward the request and then I will contact the Senators.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Is the Minister of State finished?

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I am finished.