asked the Minister for Justice the average cost of providing a week's stay in our prisons for a prisoner; and the estimated weekly cost figure for Loughan House, County Cavan.
Written Answers. - Imprisonment Costs.
484.
The cost can be measured in various ways. The cost has been computed in this instance by breaking down into weekly expenditure the total expenditure from the Prisons Vote and an estimate of relevant expenditure from other Votes in the period up to the end of August last and dividing the weekly expenditure by the daily average prison population during the period. Expenditure on capital services has not been taken into account. On the foregoing basis, the answer to the question is £137 per week. The estimated cost of a week's stay for a boy in Loughan House will depend on the number of boys committed there and cannot be estimated at present.