Government approves Thornton prison block procurement

The Minister said the Government had decided on a phased construction of the campus, ultimately providing 1,400 cells with a capacity for 2,200 prisoners.

Phase one aims to see the delivery of the first 400 cells by 2014.

"The Government has opted to press ahead with the Thornton campus on a phased basis through a traditional procurement process," said Minister Ahern.

"The previous Public Private Partnership tender competition envisaged that the entire prison campus with all 1,400 cells would have been constructed as one job and no cells would have entered into operational service until the entire campus was complete and handed over to the Irish Prison Service."

"This phased approach will allow us to build the prison in stages and allows for an earlier opening of the first cells at Thornton.

"My aim is to provide new spaces at the earliest date possible. I have instructed Irish Prison Service senior management to proceed to implement this decision in the shortest possible timeframe."

"The contract to build the access road will be signed this week and the invitation to tender for the construction of the perimeter wall will issue in September.

"A separate tender competition for the construction of the first 400 cells will be launched in early 2011 so that in line with the development consent process, work can commence on the main campus once the perimeter wall has been constructed.

"The building of the Thornton Campus is a cornerstone of our prison policy.

The Minister added that a further 200 spaces are being provided in the short term through the opening shortly of a new block at Wheatfield Prison.

Work is expected to start later this year on a new 300-space block in the Midlands Prison complex.