Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a roinnt leis na Teachtaí Ó Snodaigh, Joe Higgins, Gregory, Finian McGrath, Murphy agus Healy.

The Green Party supports what might be termed the "Mullingar motion" regarding the siting of a prison in north County Dublin. It must be far more closely investigated than the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, might like. Having listened to him last night, I almost thought he was in the Four Courts rather than Dáil Éireann and that he imagined RTE was in the dock. That will not wash in north County Dublin, since this is not merely a financial stroke by the Government but something of a political one, given the redrawing of the boundaries of Dublin North means the community around Thornton Hall, which has traditionally been in the constituency and looked to representatives there, will become part of Dublin West.

In the meantime, the Minister hopes to drive a coach and four through a considerable amount of information not to his liking. For example, he must face the intense suspicion that there is a great amount of real estate speculation here. After the Jury's sale, the value of such sites as Mountjoy, the Crumlin Central Mental Hospital, Shanganagh, Shelton Abbey and so on makes them lucrative and desirable for the many apartment-builders raising cranes above this city. Having visited Mountjoy and seen the women's prison, I feel it is absolute vandalism to suggest demolishing a prison of that standard, which has many of the facilities of which the Minister spoke. Much can be done to extend Portlaoise Prison and renovate Mountjoy, as well as looking more carefully at new sites, instead of playing poker with taxpayers' money as the Minister has done.

The community of Thornton will not stand for it. The Minister has underestimated his opposition in this matter. The irony of moving what is called the Central Mental Hospital to rural farm land is not lost on people. We all understand that many prison inmates have psychiatric illnesses. However, to put a central mental hospital adjacent to or on the same campus as a prison means one is effectively equating illness with crime.

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