Finian McGrath
Question:414 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will give an update on the plans to build a prison in the north Dublin area. [3446/05]
View answerTuesday, 8 February 2005
Questions (361, 362, 363, 364)
Jim O'Keeffe
Question:446 Mr. J. O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the nature and extent of the advice given to him and to the committee engaged in the selection of the new site for the relocation of Mountjoy Prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4026/05]
View answerJim O'Keeffe
Question:447 Mr. J. O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the level of consultation which the expert committee or his Department had with the community in the Thorntown area of County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4027/05]
View answerJim O'Keeffe
Question:448 Mr. J. O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if contracts have been signed on the proposed acquisition of lands at Thorntown, County Dublin; the amount paid to date in respect of a deposit or other outlay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4028/05]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 414 and 446 to 448, inclusive, together.
At the start of 2004, I announced my intention to replace the facilities in the Mountjoy Prison complex with a new prison facility on a greenfield site in the greater Dublin area. In February 2004, advertisements were placed in the print media inviting interested persons to put forward potentially suitable sites for consideration. A committee comprising representatives from the Office of Public Works, the Prison Service and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform was subsequently established to review all potential sites and to make recommendations. In addition to its own expertise and experience, the committee benefited from the advice of a property expert from CB Richard Ellis Gunne who supported the committee in an advisory capacity. Professional planning and engineering advice was obtained as appropriate. Details of the process are contained in the reports of the committee available on the website of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
The committee recommended the purchase of a particular site. The recommendation was accepted and on 26 January 2005 a contract was signed for the purchase of a 150 acre site at Thornton Hall, The Ward, County Dublin, at a cost of €29.9 million. An initial payment of €2.9 million has been made. While the final plans for the site have not been settled, it will allow a state-of-the-art male adult prison with full facilities to be constructed to replace the crowded and antiquated facilities in Mountjoy. The practice of slopping out, for example, will be brought to an end. The existing Dóchas centre cannot cope with the increase in the number of female prisoners and a new women's facility, of a standard on a par with the Dóchas centre, will be constructed on the site.
The new site opens up a number of possibilities regarding the construction or relocation of other prison facilities, but such options are still being explored. It is intended that the prison facilities on the new site will be developed under a public private partnership approach. When the new facilities are available, the prisoners and facilities will be transferred and the Mountjoy site will become available for redevelopment in that area of the north inner city of Dublin. The facilities on the new site are not expected to be ready before 2008.
There was no consultation with local communities in any of the areas in which potential sites were located prior to the purchase of the land. Following the announcement of the purchase of the site and the proposal for its development, the Prison Service wrote to residents in the immediate vicinity of the site to assure them that "the highest priority will be given to allaying, in so far as possible, the genuine concerns of local residents". The letter was followed up by the Prison Service offering to meet concerned groups. Two such meetings, which were arranged for last week, were postponed at the request of the local representatives. It is hoped that the meetings can be rearranged. In the interim, the Prison Service has forwarded documentation about the site acquisition process to the local community action group.
The director general of the Prison Service, along with other officials, had a preliminary meeting with Fingal County Council to discuss the development of the site. When the planning process is initiated pursuant to part 9 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, SI 600 of 2001, formal notice of the proposed development will be given and persons and bodies will have an opportunity to make submissions or observations on the proposed development.