External cleaners paid £45,000 to clean up after protest in prison

THE Northern Ireland Prison Service estimated the cost of paying external cleaning firms to deal with the aftermath of last year’s “dirty protest” by republicans in HMP Maghaberry was £45,000.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Feb 2011, 10:02 BST

The bill was incurred as a result of a protest by Real IRA, Continuity IRA and INLA members in the jail.

Community workers from Londonderry were part of the Joint Facilitation Group (JFG) that helped broker an end to the protest on August 12, 2010.

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According to details released under Freedom of Information legislation external cleaners were due to be paid £45,000 for cleaning up.

Approximately £20,000 of this was due to specialist cleaners/decorators who cleaned and repainted the Atrium at the jail over a ten day period from the end of September.

NIPS were asked how much it cost to bring in an external cleaning firm after the recent “dirty protest” in Maghaberry.

Responding to the request in October 2010 the Prison Service stated: “As invoices have not yet been received, the below figures are estimates, prorata based on earlier costs incurred during the protest.

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“From the end of the protest, mid August until mid September, when daily cleaning stopped - £25,000 approximately. From 28 September the Prison Service has employed specialist cleaners/decorators to work off ground to clean & repaint the Atrium. The estimated cost for this work is £20,000 based on a 10 day operation. Total estimate - £45,000.”

Last October the Justice Minister David Ford said taxpayers would have to foot a £138,000 bill to repair damage caused by a republican protest at HMP Maghaberry.

Mr Ford stated: “The refurbishment following the damage caused by the protest at Roe House in Maghaberry Prison is ongoing. It is estimated that when complete it will have cost £138,000.”