Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 410: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason his expert committee, which chose Thornton site for the proposed new prison, ignored the traffic issues that would endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard and obstruction of traffic users with up to 1,000 vehicles per day; if his attention has been drawn to a Centre for Public Inquiry investigation into the prison site while he was campaigning for the closure of the Centre for Public Inquiry; and the position regarding this issue. [3820/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The proper management of traffic issues, particularly those relating to public safety, will constitute an extremely important aspect of the planning of the proposed development. The expert committee was fully aware of this issue during the course of its deliberations.

I should advise the Deputy that he is incorrect in his assertion that I campaigned for the closure of the Centre for Public Inquiry. As I advised the House on 13 December 2005, I had no personal knowledge that the Centre for Public Inquiry was undertaking an investigation into the purchase of the site at Thornton Hall. I have subsequently been advised that a request pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act 1997 was made to my Department in July 2005 by the Centre for Public Inquiry for records relating to the purchase of the Thornton Hall site. When advised by my Department of the estimated costs of processing the request, the matter was not pursued by the centre and the request was deemed withdrawn.