Vol. 454 No. 2
56 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Justice the present usage of Fort Mitchel on Spike Island; the moneys spent on Fort Mitchel from 1984 to 1994; the total number of places available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10275/95]
Fort Mitchel on Spike Island was taken over by my Department in 1985. It is currently used as a place of detention for male offenders of not less than 16 years of age.
Basic work to convert the existing navy accommodation into secure custodial accommodation lasted from 1985 to 1989. It was done, in the main, by prisons trades staff, with assistance from prisoners, and with outside contractors carrying out limited works. The cost of this work was approximately £2 million. From 1990 to date additional capital works to a total value of approximately £1 million have been completed at Fort Mitchel. Additionally, an allocation is made each year to meet routine maintenance and upkeep of the prison. In 1994 this amounted to £185,000.
Fort Mitchel provides 102 prisoner spaces.
