Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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614. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to develop the site of the vacant former Cork Prison given that the Department of Justice and his Department have previously decided to not transfer the lands to the Land Development Agency for housing delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7147/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The former Cork Prison facility was built in the early 1800s and operated as a prison from 1972 to 2016. The prison was deemed no longer appropriate for use as prison accommodation due to the condition of the facilities, the size of the cellular accommodation and the lack of in-cell sanitation.

The site at Cork Prison remains of strategic interest to the Prison Service as a location for possible future development. In late 2023, engineering consultants were engaged by the Irish Prison Service to carry out a detailed assessment of the old Cork Prison facility and to provide a feasibility report on the site with various options for its use.

The draft report was received by the Irish Prison Service in October last year and it is currently being considered.