Gay Mitchell
Ceist:115 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice the approximate cost of providing in-cell sanitation in Mountjoy prison; and the likely loss of cell spaces resulting from provision of such a facility.
Written Answers. - Mountjoy Prison Sanitation Facilities.
The provision of in-cell sanitation facilities throughout Mountjoy prison would be undertaken as part of a comprehensive refurbishment programme, involving extensive internal reconstruction and major upgrading of services, safety and security features. The work would be tailored to meet the particular needs in individual sectors of the prison with the objective of providing vastly improved physical conditions.
In the circumstances, the element of cost specifically associated with the provision of in-cell sanitation facilities cannot readily be isolated and quantified. In addition, the number of cell spaces available following the refurbishment work would depend on how exactly the sanitation facilities will be provided in each wing of the prison. I should add that while the refurbishment of an area of one wing to accommodate newly committed prisoners has commenced, it could not be taken as a basis for estimating the position in relation to costs and cell spaces for the overall prison. I expect to be in a position to give the Deputy the information he requires — or at least some very good estimates — when the work is more advanced. A very rough estimate of the cost of the in-cell sanitation element — and I stress that is no more than a rough estimate at this stage — is £3.5 million.