Thornton Hall turning into a penal white elephant
Issued : Tuesday 27 July, 2010
Statement by Pat Rabbitte TD
Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources
The admission by the Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern, that it will be at least 2014 before a single prison place will become available under the Thornton Hall plan confirms this project as one of the most expensive, misconceived and poorly planned projects in the history of the state
What Minister Ahern’s announcement means is that almost ten years after the project was first announced by his predecessor, Michael McDowell, and after the expenditure of vast sums of taxpayers money, we will have, at best, less than one third of the number of prison cells originally promised.
All the fine design and promises for Thornton Hall are gone out the window as Mr. Ahern now reverts to the traditional doubling up in cells at a location that was never suitable for a prison.
We know that a total of €42.24m of taxpayers money has been spent on this project to date, including the astronomical €29.9m approved by Michael McDowell for the purchase of the site. To this we will now have to add the cost of continuing to service and develop the site up to 2014.
However, what must also be taken into account is that the state spent another €26m in acquiring a site adjacent to Mountjoy Prison on the North Circular Road which we were told at the time was with a view to maximising the redevelopment potential of Mountjoy. The deal, which went through in 2007, was sanctioned by the then Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen. Three years on this site is still lying idle and presumably has declined significantly in value since then.
This has turned into a shocking white elephant for which Minister Ahern and Mr. McDowell must share the responsibility..
As a result of Fianna Fail’s disastrously poor planning, we are seeing a record number of prisoners being given early release while many of those who remain in jail – especially in Mountjoy - have to endure overcrowded and insanitary conditions.
The Justice Minister has shown no interest in penal reform and alternatives to prison that would require many prisoners, for example, to do community service rather than contributing to dangerous overcrowding at Mountjoy.
So serious has the crime situation now become that the government must be prepared to re-examine what works in reducing crime and in creating a safer and more secure society.
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