Opposition to probe €30m jail site purchase

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell will face intense political pressure from the opposition over his department’s €30 million land purchase in north Dublin for a new prison when the Dáil resumes this week.

Fine Gael and Labour will jointly table a motion seeking an urgent inquiry by the Comptroller and Auditor General, John Purcell, into the decision to buy the farm at Thornton Hall.

The Government plans to build the replacement prison for Mountjoy at the farm.