Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

The prison building programme will deliver approximately 450 additional spaces by 2009. This will address the capacity until the planned facilities at Thornton and Kilworth become available. I could give details but, perhaps, I will do that on Committee Stage.

In regard to the PPP arrangement, some Members have likened it to the PPP arrangement for the regeneration of Dublin city centre and that involving Dublin City Council. It is a different type of PPP arrangement. McNamara and Company is just one element of the consortium selected as the preferred bidder. Nothing has been said to me that would suggest that consortium will not be in a position to go ahead once the development consent has been given.

See this speech in context