Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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257. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding a project (details supplied); his plans for the fully serviced site; the cost of maintaining the site in each of the past three years and to date in 2017; the cost of security of the site for the past three years to date; if he has requested a market valuation of the site; if the working group in his Department has produced a report on the site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29455/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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For extensive background information on the Thornton Hall project - how it arose, the related prison accommodation issues and other relevant factors - I would refer the Deputy to the Comptroller & Auditor General Annual Report 2005 which addressed this issue.

The issue was subsequently examined by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in October 2006. The Comptroller & Auditor General also addressed this issue as part of the Report on the Accounts of the Public Services in 2014 (No. 9 Development of Prison Accommodation in Dublin) and, again, the PAC subsequently examined this issue in November 2015.

The Thornton Hall site comprises 156 acres and was purchased for a proposed prison development to replace Mountjoy Prison campus. Selection of the site began with advertisements in the national newspapers and over 30 potential sites were evaluated by a selection committee. Thornton was selected as the least costly of the sites which met the relevant criteria. Full details of the assessment process have been made public and are detailed in the above mentioned C&AG's Annual Report 2005.

For reasons which are outlined in detail in the reports cited above, the Thornton project did not proceed. The initial purchase price of the land at Thornton was €29,900,000 in 2005 which was offset by the sale of surplus prison lands at Shanganagh Castle for €29.6 million. For accounting purposes, the value of the 150 acre site at Thornton continues to be recorded at the cost of €29.9 million, plus investment in infrastructure and services, pending a review of its potential value and benefit to the State.

In January 2015, a Working Group was established by the Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality to examine options for the future use of the Thornton Hall site. This group, comprising of officials from the Department of Justice and Equality, the Office of Public Works and the Irish Prison Service, was asked to review potential options for the lands and house at Thornton and make recommendations on how best to maximise the value to the State. The Working Group has been in contact with other state bodies to explore potential uses for the site, and that work is ongoing.

Regarding the market valuation of the site, it was felt that the most prudent and transparent way of reflecting the value of Thornton was to continue to incorporate the historic cost in the Statement of Capital Assets. It is clear that the site has a potential medium or long term strategic value and it is not proposed to speculate on the current resale value of the site pending the outcome of the review. The findings of the Working Group will be taken into account in determining the value of the asset in the Appropriation Account.

There were no security costs for the past three years, or to date in 2017. The following table outlines the costs in respect of ongoing maintenance, repairs & utilities for the past three years and up to 15 June this year.

Ongoing Maintenance, Repairs & Utilities