Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 90: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will report on the process that has been followed in the selection of a site to replace the Mountjoy Prison complex; if he will further report on the weighting given to the issues of sustainability and cost; and the status of the detailed plans drawn up by the Office of Public Works for the refurbishment and renewal of the Mountjoy complex. [5104/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The information on the process followed in the selection of the site to replace the Mountjoy Prison complex is available from the minutes of the committee which examined potential sites and which have been posted on my Department's website www.justice.ie.

I have been advised that while the committee initially attributed a weighting to cost, it was decided at a later stage that this approach was not sustainable. The majority of interested parties provided indicative costings but these did not necessarily reflect the actual price sought when negotiations were commenced and therefore could not be relied upon for objective comparisons. The approach taken therefore was to identify the most suitable sites and only afterwards establish by negotiation the actual price being sought for those particular sites.

As regards the refurbishment of Mountjoy, in late 1999, my predecessor approved the establishment of the Mountjoy complex redevelopment group as a consultative body to plan for the development of the complex and custodial regimes in a redeveloped prison. The group consisted of a multi-disciplinary team and was chaired by the governor, John Lonergan.

The group's second report, which was published in February 2001, contained a number of specific proposals and recommendations for the future development and use of the Mountjoy complex. The proposed development would have provided a maximum of 723 places in addition to the female prison. An estimate, prepared by a firm of surveyors on behalf of the OPW in June 2001 of the capital cost of construction of the proposed development came to a total of €336 million. I have been advised that the current estimate is that it would now cost over €400 million and take seven years to complete the development of Mountjoy as envisaged by that group — a significant multiple of the cost for the development of a prison on a greenfield site.

This level of expenditure was not deemed to be justifiable and in the circumstances, following advice and further consultations, I decided to pursue the option of the relocation of the entire complex to a new greenfield site.