Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Deputy Rabbitte would not support me on that measure if I, or anybody else, brought it to the House.

On the Deputy's second question, it has long been pointed out that we need prison accommodation to replace Mountjoy. It has been highlighted by many reports over many decades, not to mention Judge Kinlan's recent report. A long process was entered into, which included the examination of suitable sites, to try to find one large enough to replace Mountjoy with a modern facility appropriate for the inmates and close enough to Dublin from where a large proportion of prisoners come. It had to be capable of being built in such a way as to seclude it from other lands by properly protecting it. That is what the Government decided and it is what the Minister is following through on.

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