Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 232: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on recent media reports (details supplied) that he intends to allow for the privatisation of Loughan House and Shelton Abbey prisons. [18879/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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There is no question of any prison or place of detention, including Loughan House and Shelton Abbey, being privatised at this time. However, I have made it abundantly clear at all times that, in the absence of agreement with the Prison Officers' Association on proposals for organisational change involving new staff attendance arrangements, the intention is to proceed with a package of cost controlling measures, which includes closure of the open prisons at Loughan House, County Cavan and Shelton Abbey, County Wicklow. Thereafter those premises would not be part of the prison system and they would not be managed by the Irish Prison Service.

The Probation and Welfare Service and certain voluntary organisations already provide facilities to assist prisoners with the transition from prison to life in the community. I am of the view that this area needs to be developed further and I wish to see halfway houses made available on a structured basis. Rather than leave the premises in Cavan and Wicklow idle, I have instructed my Department to make arrangements for them to be made available as halfway houses for offenders on temporary release to facilitate their re-integration into society.

In a recent prior indicative notice published in the EU journal, my Department signalled an intention to invite tenders for the operation of halfway houses at Loughan House and Shelton Abbey, including management, staffing, security, catering, cleaning, laundry, general maintenance and the provision of training and therapeutic programmes.