Dan Boyle (Green Party)

It is an open secret that the Green Party had qualms about locating a new prison at Thornton Hall, and it formed some of the negotiations for the programme for Government. However, it has been accepted as a policy that is in train and will be seen through to conclusion.

There is no disagreement about the need for a new prison. The existing prison infrastructure in this country is unacceptable and inhumane. In many of the prisons the conditions areDickensian. There is no doubt about the need to transfer much of the current prison population to a new facility; the need exists in other parts of the country also. The most overcrowded prison in the Prison Service currently is Cork Prison and I would like some progress regarding a new prison in the Cork area.