Vol. 484 No. 3
317 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of people from north Mayo who have been arrested and brought to Mountjoy Prison since June 1997; the average length of time served by each prisoner; and the cost to the State for each internment including transfer costs to Loughan House. [22125/97]
The precise information sought by the Deputy is not immediately available and it was not possible to extract it from records or to calculate it in the time available. The Deputy may wish to know, however, that there were 36 offenders with addresses in County Mayo committed to Mountjoy Prison between 1 June and 30 November 1997. Eleven of these prisoners were transferred to Loughan House either on the day of or within a few days of their committal. The average annual cost of keeping a prisoner in custody in 1996 was approximately £46,140. The average annual cost for Mountjoy Prison was £46,150 and Loughan House £36,240. These figures do not include any element in respect of capital expenditure or expenditure not connected with the running of the prisons, for example, costs incurred by the probation and welfare service. The figures, however, include the cost of conducting escorts.
