Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I was one of the members of the delegation that visited the prison and in fairness to the governor, from the outset he made it clear that the conditions are unacceptable. We desperately need a new prison and therefore we are very enthusiastic about this proposal.

In fairness I note the Minister has gone some way to addressing the planning concerns. I presume that is the reason the Act was introduced in 2007 because where a prison is built is always a contentious issue. We had an opportunity to see the new site and to get a flavour of some of the challenges. A number of the issues are outlined in the summary from the rapporteur including proximity of houses to what will be huge walls and so on. I note the Minister has gone some way towards addressing those concerns.

We support the motion. We must move as quickly as possible to the construction of a new prison and also to meet our responsibilities to rehabilitation and adhere to international best standards. I do not know if it is possible to determine if there is more we can do to address the residents' concerns about noise during construction stages. Some of them spoke about the possibility of window replacements in the houses. I urge that we do all we can to address the residents' concerns but it is in the public interest for us to proceed. With the caveat of the Minister doing what he can to address residents' legitimate concerns in the area, I support the motion.