An education unit costing €7.5 million at St Patrick's Institute for Young Offenders, Dublin, is due to partially open on Monday, four years after it was completed.
The centre, which includes classrooms, a sports hall and counselling rooms, has been empty since construction was completed in April 2003.
It did not open at that time because the Government was embroiled in a protracted dispute with the Prison Officers' Association (POA) relating to the substantial levels of overtime being paid to officers.
Talks between the POA and the Government and Irish Prison Service on staffing the new facility only began at the start of last year when the overtime row was resolved with the implementation of an annualised hours scheme for the officers.
Those negotiations have continued for the past 14 months with agreement now having been reached in relation to some aspects of the staffing arrangements
The Irish Times understands that while the POA never resisted the opening of the education unit, it wanted the appropriate level of staff to be recruited before the opening took place.
A number of educational staff have been recruited and have been working at other prisons ahead of the opening of the unit on Monday. The centre will open on a phased basis with the "school element" to open first, according to the Department of Justice. It is unclear when the roll-out of the remaining elements will take place.
Negotiations on staffing and resourcing at the remaining parts of the unit have not yet been completed. All parts of the facility will only open when these talks have successfully concluded.
Minister for Justice Michael McDowell revealed the opening date in reply to a Dáil question tabled by Billy Timmins TD (FG).
"I have asked Prison Service management to give priority attention to bringing these talks [ with the POA] to a conclusion," he said in the reply.
"It is intended in any event to proceed with the opening of the school element of the facility on a phased basis in the week commencing Monday, 2nd April, 2007."
The new unit, which is a stand- alone facility within the St Patrick's campus, was budgeted at €8 million. The final cost, including VAT, was €7.5 million.
The overtime dispute which delayed its opening was resolved last year with the implementation of the Agreed Proposal for Organisational Change in the Prison Service. Under the new agreement prison officers earn a salary of up to €70,000 and work an average of seven hours overtime per week. They are paid for the overtime even if the hours are not worked.
