asked the Minister for Defence when a decision to erect a high security prison in the Curragh was taken; the total cost of the development; and how the area was selected.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Curragh Prison Accommodation.
6.
It was decided in July, 1974, to provide additional prison accommodation at the Curragh Training Camp. The work is nearing completion and the final cost is estimated at £200,000.
As the matter concerns security, it would not be expedient for me to indicate the basis on which the location of the accommodation was selected.
I have been unable to obtain information on this project either from the Department of Defence or the Department of Justice. Will the Minister make available to me the full facts so that I can decide what further action to take?
I will certainly give the Deputy any facts if they are not facts which could be security risks, shall we say. That does not mean I do not trust the Deputy implicitly and absolutely in this matter. I must always be mindful of the security situation.
Can the Minister indicate who selected the site?
That is sub judice.
As I remember it, the military authorities selected the site. A few sites were looked at.
My information is that this was a Government decision and that the Taoiseach was responsible. Is that so?
I am being very open with the Deputy. He saw me thinking and reflecting. I was here and my recollection is that the military recommended that site.
Surely it is not a military matter.
I hope this barracks will provide very good accommodation when all the ills we have around us at the moment are gone, and that the extra cost will be only the cost of the fence around it.
At the moment, can Army personnel use the headquarters which have been renovated?
I happen to know that Army personnel did use it for the simple reason that, on an occasion about two months ago when there was an attempted escape from the Curragh prison, which is next door, personnel who were there on a training course were on the spot inside minutes and prevented that escape. That is how I happen to know that.
Will the Minister make these barracks available to Army personnel who are living in inferior conditions elsewhere in the camp at the moment?
I will take account of everybody's position in the matter, but I must also take security considerations into account.