Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 March 2015
431. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 344 of 3 March 2015, the cost saving measures which led to the reduction in costs, per prison space, from €92,717 in 2008 down to €65,542 in 2013; and the amount of this €27,175 reduction that relates to services available to prisoners, such as educational, training, addiction, support and so on. [11164/15]
View answerThe cost of an available staffed prison space fell from €92,717 in 2008 to €65,542 in 2013, which is a reduction of €27,175. There has been no reduction in services available to prisoners and in fact the spend on Prisoner Related Variable Costs increased over the same period. The decrease in costs actually resulted from a combination of a reduced overall expenditure bill and an increase in the provision of available bed spaces.
This period saw an addition of 815 available staffed spaces due to an general increase to the prison estate, for example, the building of new wings at Wheatfield and Midlands Prisons. Overall expenditure fell by €44.71 million during these years largely because payroll costs decreased by €40.14 million. This was on foot of the introduction of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest.
Between 2008 - 2013, the spend on Prisoner Related Variable costs increased from €22.98 million annually in 2008 to €25.76 million annually in 2013, an increase of €2.78 million. Examples of Prisoner Related Variable costs include catering, healthcare, prisoner gratuities, work training, clothing, educational materials and recreational facilities.
