Lenihan pays tribute to predecessor McDowell

THE new Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan yesterday paid tribute to his predecessor Michael McDowell, and particularly praised his bravery for embarking on an ambitious programme to build new prisons.

“It was a bold decision to proceed with a prison building programme,” said Mr Lenihan.

“A lot of our prisons like Mountjoy and Cork are very old-fashioned buildings and are not suitable for a modern era.”