Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The funding secured to date for the 1,100 places does include the Curragh Camp. The final proposal for that is not yet complete. It has not been used in quite a while. It would provide accommodation for about 60 people. We need to make sure if we are investing in a standalone area that requires separate staff that we are getting value for money and that it can be used to its full capacity. That is still under way at the moment but it would be next year before it could be open. This is why we are focusing on the 150 spaces for this year and the other four separate larger projects at Castlerea Prison, Cloverhill, Mountjoy and the Midlands Prison - as well as other additional spaces that have been identified - which will bring it up to the 1,100 number.