Written answers
Wednesday, 3 May 2006
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
Prison Building Programme
9:00 pm
Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 430: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the extent of expenditure and work both new and renovation or reconstruction carried out at each prison here since 2000; the firms or contractors appointed for each such works in excess of €15,000; if tenders are sought and were sought for all such new and renovation works; if extension of contract or new contracts were awarded in this period without tenders having being sought; if so, the circumstances that applied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16046/06]
Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Irish Prison Service awards tenders for new, renovation and reconstruction works in accordance with European Union and National Procurement Regulations.
The amount spent on capital, maintenance and small works since 2000 amounts to €269.5million. This is broken down as shown in the table.
| Year | Capital | Maintenance & Small Works | Total |
| (€) (Millions) | (€) (Millions) | (€) (Millions) | |
| 2000 | 21.2 | 8.6 | 29.8 |
| 2001 | 30 | 9.1 | 39.1 |
| 2002 | 38.8 | 7.7 | 46.5 |
| 2003 | 31.6 | 7.3 | 38.9 |
| 2004 | 32.1 | 7.9 | 40 |
| 2005 | 62.5* | 12.7 | 75.2 |
| (*This figure includes €29.9m in respect of the purchase of land at Thornton Hall for a new prison.) |
The other information requested by the Deputy is not readily available. The compilation of these statistics would require a disproportionate and inordinate amount of staff time and effort to prepare and could not be justified in current circumstances where there are other significant demands on resources.
As the Deputy is aware, I have reversed the unacceptable trend of spiralling overtime costs which has been a feature of our prisons operations for many years. Meeting these inflated costs has led to the repeated diversion of funds allocated by the Oireachtas every year for major building, refurbishment and other improvements in the prison service generally.
The revised Proposal for Organisational Change in the Irish Prison Service, which was accepted by prison staff last August, eliminates the unsustainable overtime culture in the Prison Service and replaces it with a new additional hours system. This system has now been rolled out across all the prisons. Significant savings will arise from the new system and this will facilitate the physical infrastructure of the prisons estate being brought up to modern standards.
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