Vol. 472 No. 8
106 Mrs. O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice when the first phase of Castlerea Prison opened; the number of prisoners currently in Castlerea; the number of staff currently employed in the prison; the weekly wages bill for this prison; the firm employed by the prison at weekends; the cost of this weekend security; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24252/96]
I took possession of the completed buildings in unit A, Castlerea Prison on 31 October this year. Fit-out of the new prison is being completed and arrangements have been made to transfer the first prisoners to the prison the week beginning 16 December, 1996.
A total of 18 prison service staff are employed at unit A, Castlerea at a weekly cost of approximately £9,000. These staff have now completed their training and all of the tasks necessary to allow prisoners to be transferred to Castlerea.
It was considered necessary to engage a private security firm to protect the entire prison site at Castlerea, its buildings and other contents following the departure of the Western Health Board. The site security cover has, in the normal course, been for a period of 108 hours per week at a cost of £934 per week, inclusive of VAT at 21 per cent. The security firm was selected following a tendering procedure.
