Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----put into operation. He purchased land in 2005. Quite a bit of money has been spent on that project in the meantime and 18 years on, it is still lying there. The reason for the purchase of that land was to build a state-of-the-art prison that would facilitate up to 1,400 prisoners. None of us wants to see anybody going to prison but it is a sad reality of life that some people have to be incarcerated. If somebody is incarcerated, he or she is entitled to be facilitated in humane conditions and, unfortunately, that is not happening at the moment. We have to grasp the nettle, bite the bullet, and build a state-of-the-art prison once and for all so that this is not allowed to continue. As we know, our population is increasing dramatically. As a result of that, it is a sad reality that more prison spaces will be needed. I welcome that fact that the Minister said there will be 400 additional spaces within five years. Quite frankly, that is not enough and it is not good enough. We need to invest in a state-of-the-art prison that can facilitate the numbers of prisoners that, unfortunately, we are going to have to facilitate into the future.

The Bill also includes amendments across a diverse range of areas, including bankruptcy, Irish nationality and citizenship, international protection, immigration, legal services, civil legal aid and the Judicial Council, which has been referred here on numerous occasions over the past number of months by Senator McDowell with regard to the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022, which is still going through this House. I understand a number of elements of this legislation will also help to reduce costs, which is very much welcome. In essence, I welcome the Bill. I wish it a speedy passage through the House. If the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, is not in a position to answer the queries I have raised, I would be grateful if he would be able to find out for me and let me know.