Vol. 346 No. 10
asked the Minister for Justice the normal complement of prison officer staff, excluding assistant chief officers and higher ranks, on duty in Mountjoy Prison in the month of September 1983 between the hours of (a) 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and (b) 9 p.m. until 8 a.m.; and the hourly rate of pay for both the basic day and night periods.
91.
asked the Minister for Justice the normal complement of prison officer staff, excluding assistant chief officers and higher ranks, on duty in St. Patrick's Institution, Dublin, in the month of October 1983 between the hours of (a) 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and (b) 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. and the normal number of detainees.
Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 91 together.
For reasons of security I would prefer not to disclose the number of staff on duty at particular times in the closed prisons and places of detention. The total number of basic grade custodial staff at Mountjoy is 300 men and 28 women and at St. Patrick's Institution is 128 men. The number on duty varies during the day, naturally being less during the night when the prisoners and detainees are in their cells.
The hourly rate of pay for a basic grade prison officer is £4.10 on the maximum of the scale. Officers are paid 1/6th extra per hour for work between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. and 1/4 extra per hour for work between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. In addition special rates apply where overtime is worked.
The daily average number of detainees in St. Patrick's Institution during the month of October was 227.
92.
asked the Minister for Justice in view of the overcrowding in Mountjoy Prison and the appalling lack of prison space, the reason the building of the new Wheatfield prison in Clondalkin, County Dublin, was ceased.
Limerick East): It is not correct to say that building has ceased. In fact building work at Wheatfield has continued without interruption since 1980. The enclosure of the site of approximately 30 acres by external and internal walls, the draining of the site, the provision of servicing and lighting is nearly completed. The buildings to house the heating, central electrical, maintenance and storage services are also nearly completed.
Planning of custodial buildings to accommodate over 300 offenders is completed and building tenders are now being sought.
93.
asked the Minister for Justice the extent of the damage to Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, and its equipment in the course of the recent riots; and the estimated cost of the repairs and reconstruction required to restore the prison to its previous condition.
Limerick East): In the course of disturbance at Mountjoy Prison on the night of 2 November damage was confined to “A” wing and to the workshops and recreation area off that wing.
The damage to the cell area was relatively minor: doors, locks, plumbing, wash-hand basins, etc., were damaged and in some cases completely destroyed. All of this damage was repaired in a matter of days.
More serious damage was caused to the workshops and recreation area. Some structural damage was caused by a fire which was started during the disturbance. Workshop equipment (metalwork machines, sewing machines and so on) as well as recreation equipment (television sets, pool tables and so on) was destroyed.
It is not proposed to simply restore the workshops to their original condition. Work had, in fact, already begun to improve that area of the prison and the opportunity will now be taken to carry out that work as well as other work which had been planned for some time.
The estimated cost of carrying out the repairs and improvements is £125,000. The estimated cost of replacing the equipment is £43,000.
94.
asked the Minister for Justice the reason he is dispensing with the peat-fired heating system in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin; and if this is in the national interest.
Limerick East): In May 1978, the then Minister for Justice approved a proposal to erect a new boilerhouse complex at Mountjoy Prison which would be exclusively oil-fired. That decision was made following a review of the available options. Design work commenced on the proposed new boiler house but, due to the overall financial situation, construction work which had been expected to start in 1979 has not begun yet.
In the meantime the two existing boilers needed to be replaced. One new boiler, at present peat-fired, was installed last year and another new boiler will be installed in a few weeks time.
As part of the arrangements for replacement of the boilers, negotiations have taken place with the Dublin Gas Company and in the New Year both of the boilers will be gas-fired. In addition it is intended to convert the present boilers at the training unit, adjacent to Mountjoy from oil to gas.
I am satisfied that those arrangements will be more economical and efficient than the present arrangements.
95.
asked the Minister for Justice the total man hours in respect of Garda and Army personnel and the total cost to the State of these man hours which arose from the events which occurred in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, from 30 October until 19 November 1983.
Limerick East): An estimated total of 50,000 man hours were worked by members of the Garda Síochána in the Dublin Metropolitan Area arising from the events which occurred in Mountjoy Prison from 30 October 1983. The cost involved is estimated at £400,000, taking into account overtime, subsistence and night-duty allowances payable to the gardaí who were on duty at the prison and to those who were on standby in the Dublin Metropolitan area. In addition, gardaí on standby at centres throughout the country worked an estimated total of 55,000 man hours and it is estimated that the cost involved, taking into account, overtime, subsistence, night-duty and travel allowances is in the region of £450,000.
The additional cost to the State arising from extra payments to military personnel as a result of the prisons dispute is estimated at £27,000. As the security duty allowance payable to military personnel is calculated on a daily basis and is not related to the actual number of hours worked, the number of man hours involved in the duties undertaken by military personnel on this occasion is not readily available.
