Written Answers. - Castlerea (Roscommon) Prison Project.
Ivor Callely
Question:
119
Mr. Callely
asked the
Minister for Justice
the position regarding the Castlerea prison project; the total cost to date of the project; whether the project is shelved; if not, the timescale for development; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[12190/95]
The Deputy will be aware from the Government statement issued on 8 June 1995 that the Government is determined to ensure a strategic approach to the allocation of available resources in 1996. This will involve all Ministers, including the Minister for Justice, in a review of existing policies and expenditures with a view to maximising benefits within the Government's spending target for 1996. It was in this context that the Government found it necessary to defer the Castlerea prison project.
Following this decision, and as I informed the House in the debate on the Private Members' motion on Castlerea prison on 27 June 1995, I decided to establish immediately an inter-departmental committee to review all aspects of the prison project for Castlerea, taking into account the social and economic impact on Castlerea and the surrounding area and the need to identify and initiate measures to address such impact. The committee, will be chaired by an assistant secretary in my Department and will have senior representatives from the other Departments. A formal input will be sought from the Castlerea Development CoOperative Society Ltd., to ensure that the measures identified to address the impact of the deferral are informed not only by broad criminal justice and related considerations, but also by local concerns and insights.
Furthermore, as I informed the House in course of the above mentioned debate, the Government in deciding to defer the Castlerea prison project, recognised the need, at this time, to examine the State's overall offender management structures and capacity against the background of developments taking place in relation to juvenile justice and the impact of the peace process. The Government also decided to conduct a full-scale review of offender treatment options generally, including the wider use of community sanctions and measures as recommended by the 1985 Whitaker report and more recently in the prisons five year plan.
I have arranged that the committee will hold its first meeting within the next week and report by the end of December this year. The recommendations of the committee will then be brought to Government without delay.
A contract for the provision of the prison perimeter wall and associated works was placed in May 1994. Works under this contract are virtually complete. I am informed by the Office of Public Works that the estimated total costs arising from this contract for my Department will be £1,300,000 and that, to date, expenditure in the amount of £1,120,613 has been incurred.
