€150,000 fee for jail site agent queried

OPPOSITION politicians last night questioned the payment of €150,000 to an agent involved in finding and buying the site of a new prison in north Dublin.

In reply to a written question from Fine Gael’s Jim O’Keeffe, Justice Minister Michael McDowell said an agreed fixed fee of €150,350 has been paid to the agent for the “sourcing and purchase” of a site for the new prison.

The Government paid €30m for a 150-acre greenfield site at Thornton Hall in the north of the county.