asked the Minister for Justice (a) the capital expenditure on the prison service each year since 1970; and (b) the areas where the money has been spent and the amount spent on each.
302.
Written Answers. - Prison Service.
301.
asked the Minister for Justice (a) his present plans for future capital expenditure on the prison service, (b) the cost of each of the planned developments, (c) the starting and completion date for each of the developments, (d) whether the Government have agreed to a long or short-term programme of capital expenditure on the prison system, and (e) whether the Government have agreed to the earmarking of public funds for any short-term or long-term programme of capital expenditure on the prison service.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 301 and 302 together.
A capital programme for the modernisation of prisons and places of detention has been in progress over most of the past decade and is likely to continue over much of the next decade.
It envisages a modernised central prison to accommodate about 400 at Mountjoy; modernised prisons, each to accommodate about 100, at Cork and at Arbour Hill; new custodial accommodation for 60 women at Wheatfield, County Dublin; new high security accommodation for 120 at Portlaoise, new places of detention for male juveniles at Wheatfield and Cork, to replace the existing Saint Patrick's Institution.
Work on Mountjoy commenced in 1973. New accommodation for unmarried staff has been built, new water and electricity installations provided, certain perimeter works done and work carried well forward on new units to cater for admissions and for visits. The prison has to continue in operation while modernisation is in progress and work is likely to continue for several years to come.
Work to transform the former Military Detention Barracks in Cork into a modern prison commenced in 1972 and is expected to be complete by 1982. This prison has also to remain in operation while modernisation is in progress. Work, of the same nature as that in Cork, commenced on Arbour Hill in 1972 and should be complete in 1982. The prison has been in operation since 1975.
Site work commenced this year on the new high security prison in Portlaoise. Work on staff accommodation is about to commence. Perimetering and service installations are planned to commence in 1981 and construction of the custodial buildings in 1982.
Work on the new women's prison and on the place of detention for male juveniles at Wheatfield commenced in September 1980 and is expected to be complete by 1985.
Design work on the place of detention for male juveniles in Cork is well advanced and site preparation work will commence shortly. Work is expected to be complete by 1985.
In addition to the projects outlined, Shanganagh Castle was acquired in 1968 as a place of open custody for about 50 male juveniles and has been fully developed by the provision of educational, occupational and recreational facilities.
Loughan House was acquired in 1973 as a place of open custody for male juveniles over 16 years of age. Although it now temporarily accommodates a younger age group of delinquent juveniles, pending the completion of a secure special school by the Department of Education, development of the property—water, sewerage, heating, electricity, staff accommodation etc.—as an open place of custody for an older age group continues and is expected to be complete by 1982.
Shelton Abbey near Arklow was also acquired in 1973 as an open place of custody for about 40 adult males. A great deal of development still needs to be done to bring Shelton Abbey to its full potential. Design work is in hand on water supply and sewerage.
A new unit for the industrial training of about 100 selected and custodially reliable prisoners was commenced in 1971 at Glengarriff Parade, Dublin and began to operate in 1975. An extension to expand its facilities is expected to be complete by 1982.
In longer term, Limerick Prison and Portlaoise Prison need to be modernised, but the security requirements in both these places necessitate a deferment of the work. Adjoining lands have been acquired in Limerick to enable modernisation to be undertaken in due course.
Land has also been acquired this year at Hart's Corner, Phibsboro, Dublin, on which to locate a training centre for Prison Service personnel and houses for married staff, to replace staff houses fronting Mountjoy Prison, which are now beyond economic upkeep.
Expenditure on the reconstruction of existing custodial accommodation or on the construction of new accommodation is reckoned in the same way as expenditure on any other public sector building project and as far as I am aware the question of "earmarking" of funds cannot arise in advance of the annual estimates which require the approval, first of all, of the Government and then of this House. It is of course clear that approval by the Government of funds to commence a capital project implies an intention on their part to continue to approve of its funding to completion in subsequent years.
Purpose-built custodial accommodation is very costly to provide and can vary greatly according to size and the level of security needed in a particular project. An approximate indication of cost is that it can range from between £75,000 to £150,000 per custodial place. Apart from accommodation and security installations, outlay must cover the cost of services engineering, as well as the health, education, work-training, chaplaincy, catering, recreation etc. facilities. It is not possible, at this juncture, to say what some projects will cost.
Modernisation of existing accommodation costs considerably less than new purpose-built accommodation. It is estimated that the cost of modernising Cork and Arbour Hill will, in each instance, be about £3,000,000. The total cost of developing Loughan House as a place of open custody will be about £2 million and the total cost of the training unit in Glengarriff Parade just over £1 million.
The detailed breakdown of expenditure sought by the Deputy could not be assembled in the time available but it is being compiled and will be communicated to the Deputy as soon as possible. The information already to hand is as follows:
Capital and maintenance expenditure is not separated for the years 1970/71 to 1972/73 viz. 1970/71, £151,854; 1971/72, £337,857; 1972/73, £488,971. Separate figures for capital expenditure are available for the subsequent years viz. 1973/74, £842,916; 1974, £1,287,073; 1975, £1,460,848; 1976, £857,191; 1977, £765,163; 1978, £1,920,145; 1979, £1,850,915; 1980, £3,900,000 (expected).