Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 501: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the average cost per annum of keeping a prisoner incarcerated; the average for each year of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29470/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The average annual costs for keeping an offender over the last five years are set out in the following table.

The average cost of keeping an offender in custody is calculated by averaging 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 the number of offenders in custody, e.g. utilities, staff salaries, etc. It also includes the cost of central services to each prison, e.g. Headquarters, Prison Service Training Centre, I.T., etc.

The comprehensive Change Agreement reached with the Prison Officer's Association in 2005, which has been successfully rolled out throughout the Service, has brought to an end the chronic problem of escalating overtime costs and has introduced a range of other efficiencies. The savings arising from these efficiencies are contributing significantly to the control of costs, including the overall cost of keeping an offender in custody.

In addition, the planned development of new prison facilities, particularly at Thornton, Co. Dublin and in the Munster region, will provide an opportunity to further reduce operating costs while providing an improved regime for prisoners and staff.