Written answers

Tuesday, 17 May 2005

Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform

Prisons Building Programme

9:00 pm

Photo of Trevor SargentTrevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 25: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the capital funding which has been allocated to the Mountjoy complex in Dublin in each of the past ten years; and if he will itemise the projects in each instance. [16189/05]

Photo of Michael McDowellMichael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The precise information requested by the Deputy is not readily available. However, an amount of approximately €45.375 million was spent on capital expenditure during the period 1995 to 2004, inclusive, on the Mountjoy Prison complex. The Mountjoy Prison complex includes Mountjoy male prison, St. Patrick's Institution, the Dóchas Centre and the training unit. This expenditure on capital projects reflects the construction cost and related professional fees of the various projects and the related fit-out costs of these works. Included in this figure is the bulk of the cost of construction of the Dóchas Centre amounting to €19.3 million, this includes the provision of a multi-storey car park for the Mountjoy Complex, the construction of the special school at St. Patrick's Institution at a cost of €8.3 million and fire safety work at the training unit at a cost of €1.2 million.

I am determined to improve conditions for prisoners in the Mountjoy Prison and end the requirement for slopping out. I am also conscious that since the opening of the Dóchas Centre there has been a serious overcrowding problem, even with the benefit of an additional 20 spaces provided there in the final phase of its construction.

Redeveloping the existing 20 acre Mountjoy site would be prohibitively expensive — over €400 million — present significant operational difficulties and would leave no scope for expansion. It is for these compelling reasons that a new 150 acre site has been purchased at Thornton. Among the facilities planned for the new site is a new expanded version of the Dóchas Centre. It would not make operational or economic sense to maintain two women's prisons in operation in the Dublin area.

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