A review of the decision to build a new prison at Thornton Hall, north Co Dublin, will begin next week, the Minister for Justice has said.
Alan Shatter said this morning there had been “an enormous, extraordinary” and “scandalous" amount of money spent on Thornton Hall, in particular on the acquisition of the site.
Land for the 2,200-bed prison was bought by the former government at the height of the property boom for almost €30 million. Other fees for professional work, consultancy and site works have brought the bill for the prison up to almost €45 million so far.
Mr Shatter said he hoped the review would begin next week. He acknowledged the money had already been spent on Thornton Hall.
“We must ensure that if we continue with the project that it not only makes economic sense, but it makes sense in the context of the development of the prison service,” he said. “Next week, I’ll announce the individuals who will be engaged in that review and the outcome will be published.”
He hoped the review would be completed by July “at the very latest”.
He also raised concerns about recidivism and said he would be announcing measures to tackle the issue at a later date.
Details released by the Department of Justice in December show that some €7.4 million has been spent on professional and consultancy fees on the project, while almost €30 million was spent on the initial purchase of the site.
A total of €500,000 has been spent on landscaping the site, which is in effect still an open field, and €500,000 has also been paid to security firms patrolling the site.
A further €2.9 million has been spent on “site preparation and various surveys”. These surveys involve geological, engineering, archaeological and environmental studies needed for such a large- scale development.
THORNTON HALL: The Story So Far
JANUARY 2005 A 150-acre site at Kilsallaghan near Swords, Co Dublin, is acquired for €30 million. The price per acre is far higher than any other sales in the area at that time, prompting criticism of then minister for justice Michael McDowell.
The site is to be the location for a new 2,200-berth super prison to replace Mountjoy Prison. The near 1,500 extra spaces it will provide will end chronic prison overcrowding. A new mental hospital is also planned at the site to replace the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Dublin.
JULY 2006 The Leargas consortium, comprising Michael McNamara Construction, Barclays Private Equity and GSL, is among a shortlist of four bidders.
JULY 2006 McDowell unveils plans for a new urban village at the Mountjoy complex. The regeneration will begin when the site is vacated. It will be carried out under the direction of the Office of Public Works, with a design team headed by one of the State's foremost architectural firms, Heneghan Peng.
OCTOBER 2006 Green Party chairman Dan Boyle, then an opposition TD, tells the Public Accounts Committee that the price paid for the Thornton site was eight times higher than the market rate.
MAY 2007 Leargas confirmed as preferred bidder. Talks begin between consortium and State.
AUGUST 2007 The High Court rejects a move by residents of Kilsallaghan to halt the prison.
MAY 2008 Taoiseach Brian Cowen tells the Dáil there is "no indication" the talks with Leargas have stalled. He was speaking as McNamara withdraws from five Dublin public-private partnership social housing schemes.
NOVEMBER 2008 It emerges that almost €11 million has been spent on the Thornton Hall site preparing for construction.
MARCH 2009 The visiting committee of Mountjoy Prison says it believes Thornton Hall will be delayed for a number of years.
MARCH 2009 Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern says the contracts with Leargas will be signed "later this year".
MAY 2009 Irish Prison Service and Department of Justice announce its two-year negotiations with Leargas have ended because the prices quoted are too high.
JULY 2009 Plans to build a new Central Mental Hospital on the Thornton Hall site beside the new jail are scrapped.
APRIL 2010 The overcrowding in the prison system, which Thornton Hall was supposed to alleviate, reaches record highs, with more than 800 inmates freed because there is nowhere to house them in the prison system.
JULY 2010 Ahern announces plans to proceed with the Thornton Hall plan but with a 700 berth rather than 2,200 berth facility, as initially envisaged.
DECEMBER 2010 Spending on the jail has reached €43.3 million before the award of the main contract has been tendered for. Construction of the perimeter wall, which is likely to cost tens of millions, is set to begin in the first quarter of 2011 and take a year to complete.
APRIL 2011 Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said review of the decision to build the prison will be held