Vol. 534 No. 5
7 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the original contract price for the construction of the new prison at Portlaoise, County Laois; the final cost of construction and fitting out; the extent to which these costs exceeded the original contract price; when he opened the prison; and the number of prisoners detained in the prison. [10859/01]
176 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the original contract price for the construction of the new prison at Portlaoise, County Laois; the final cost of construction and fitting out; the extent to which these costs exceeded the original contract price; when he opened the prison; and the number of prisoners detained in the prison. [11120/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 176 together.
The initial contract price for the construction of the Midlands Prison was £36.9 million, including a retention of £600,000. This contract, which was signed on 20 May 1998, was for the provision of a 400 place secure prison with all necessary services and facilities on a site owned by my Department adjacent to Portlaoise Prison. Subsequent to the commencement of construction in June 1999, a further contract was entered into with the approval of the Government for an additional wing with accommodation for 115 prisoners. The cost of this contract was £6.9 million, including a retention of £120,000.
Both contracts were awarded on a part design, build and finance basis under which the contractor undertook to develop the design and deliver the buildings in accordance with a brief furnished by the Office of Public Works which managed the project on behalf of my Department and the Prison Service. While the above contracts included a certain level of fit-out, it will be appreciated that on a project of this size and complexity it was decided from the outset not to include all necessary works or fittings in the main contracts. In organising the project in this fashion, my officials were following the practice which had applied in most other prison building works in the modern era. Additional sums totalling approximately £1.6 million have, accordingly, been expended to date on a range of essential items for the prison, including, in particular, security features, locking systems, miscellaneous minor building works, fitting out of workshops and classrooms, etc.
Were locking systems not provided for in the original prison contract?
For security reasons locking systems are installed by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to ensure outside agencies or bodies will not be aware of them.
I remember.
It is a question of security.
The keys did not fit the locks at Clover Hill.
The Minister should be allowed to continue without interruption. His time is limited.
In Deputy Howlin's time there were neither locks nor keys because there were not any prison places.
I would prefer if the Minister continued answering the question.
They were not sliding around the floors.
I remind the Deputy that as this question was submitted in the name of Fine Gael, it is only fair that an opportunity should be made available for Deputy Flanagan to ask a supplementary question. If we use the six minutes available in this fashion, he will not have that opportunity.
I am sure the Chair will facilitate me. It is a valuable contribution from my colleague on the left.
The works included in the original building contracts are separate and distinct from those items required to be provided for subsequently. There is no question of the original contract price having been exceeded due to a cost overrun or any other reason.
If we could have silence from the stalls, I will finish the answer.
The answer is the pits.
The locks are extra.
The Minister's two minutes have concluded.
Additional InformationThe Midlands Prison was opened by me on 9 November 2000 and there are now 194 prisoners in custody there. The numbers in custody are being increased daily in line with staffing resources and other resource and operational requirements. I expect the numbers in custody there to increase to 300 by mid-May.
I take the opportunity to state that this project represents superb value for money. The Midlands Prison will, ultimately, accommodate 515 prisoners in the most modern prison facilities in western Europe. The average capital cost per prisoner, at less than £90,000, is well below the international norm for such facilities. The prison is equipped with the most modern technology available which is utilised particularly to contain staff costs, including those arising from overtime working. This will generate significant future savings in the longer term for the Prison Service and the State.
As the Minister has been taken out of his misery, he will not have to complete what is in front of him. I welcome the prison development in Portlaoise in my constituency. It appears, however, that the lessons of Clover Hill have not been learned and that heed has not been paid to the Clover Hill debacle as far as appliances, such as keys and locks, are concerned. Does the Minister agree that there is a need to provide a self-contained medical unit with appropriate and proper facilities in the new Midlands Prison to obviate the need for and to cease the practice of the accident and emergency department at Portlaoise General Hospital being prioritised for prisoners to the disadvantage of the public? The sooner there is an advanced medical unit on site from a security point of view, the better it will be for everyone.
On foot of the fiasco in the building of Clover Hill Prison, the difficulties and defects identified in the women's prison at Mountjoy and now the further defects identified in the freedom of information disclosures in the Midlands Prison, what steps is the Minister taking to put a proper prison building system in place? What was the final outturn cost for the Midlands Prison?
I outlined the cost of the Midlands Prison in my initial reply. The initial contract price was £36.9 million. There were an additional 115 places which cost £6.9 million. I also explained that there were additional totals of approximately £1.6 million for a range of essential items. That is my understanding of the situation. If there is more information available, I will communicate it to the Deputy.
I acknowledge the first light of magnanimity from Deputy Flanagan who welcomed the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise. As regards the locks, I have explained to Deputy Howlin, who interrupted, that the question of providing locks and security is the preserve of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform because outside bodies or agencies are not informed about the mechanisms involved. There are obvious and good reasons for this.
As regards Clover Hill, the women's prison and the Midlands Prison—
That makes a change from the days when the relatives of Fianna Fáil provided the locks. Does the Leas-Cheann Comhairle remember that?
Will the Deputy please allow the Minister to reply to the questions?
There were difficulties in relation to Clover Hill and lesser difficulties in relation to the women's prison.
Clover Hill does not arise on this question.
There were not any problems when the rainbow coalition was in office because there were not any prisons.
