Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 122: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the general increase in the cost of keeping prisoners in jail and particularly the fact that the cost of keeping a prisoner in Portlaoise is now close to a quarter of a million euro per year; his plans to examine ways of reducing such costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36262/06]

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

The average cost of keeping an offender in custody is calculated by averaging out the current running costs of the prisons and places of detention against the average number of offenders in those institutions. These costs include certain items which are fixed no matter what the number of offenders in custody, e.g. utilities, staff salaries, etc. It also reallocates the cost of central services, e.g. H.Q., Prison Service Training Centre, I.T., etc. to each prison institution.

The general increase in the cost of keeping an offender in 2005 relates to a number of specific areas:

(i) pay increases in line with National Wage Agreements,

(ii) an increase in maintenance costs associated with the higher costs of maintaining older prison building stock,

(iii) higher than expected increase in the costs of utilities, and

(iv) the provision of additional teaching staff.

The relatively high costs of keeping a prisoner in Portlaoise Prison arises primarily because of the unique nature of the prisoners held there and the consequent security considerations which require a higher staff to prisoner ratio.

The Deputy will of course be aware of my determination to reduce costs in the Prison Service. For example, following protracted negotiations with the Prison Officers' Association, agreement was reached last year on a major programme of change which has since been rolled out across the Service. This agreement involves radical change, including new attendance arrangements which involve the elimination of overtime working.