Thornton Hall to be replaced by ‘similarly’ large jail

THE aborted super-prison at Thornton Hall will be replaced by a “similarly” large complex, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern has said.

He said the new facility would be of “similar size, similar capacity” to Thornton, which could have housed 2,200 inmates.

This scotched earlier indications that the new complex might be scaled down, but Mr Ahern did say it might be built in “stages”.

He said he may bring proposals to the cabinet as early as today.

He said the Government decided to “abort” the original proposal for Thornton as it was no longer cost effective.

The minister maintained that the cost of the project by preferred bidder Leargas Consortium had risen by 30%, increasing the overall bill by hundreds of millions.

Mr Ahern said they were examining different funding options.

“We are going to look at different models: whether it’s the exchequer, whether the NTMA [National Treasury Management Agency] can do it from Government bonds or some similar facility, or indeed through the PPP.”

He accepted there was a “significant problem” with overcrowding in the prison system and said that the long-term solution was Thornton.

Mr Ahern said legislation combating organised crime gangs, which he was bringing to the cabinet today, would allow gardaí to prosecute Irish criminals operating abroad.

He said the Criminal Justice Amendment Bill 2009 would help pursue bosses directing criminal gangs.

“A lot of murders that have taken place associated with gangland crime, they are committed by patsies, in effect, and the real people are behind them and we need to follow those.”

Mr Ahern was speaking at the launch of a guide for buying and selling homes and apartments.

He said the guide was being published alongside two bills being progressed through the Oireachtas: the Property Services (Regulation) Bill 2009 and the Multi-Unit Development Bill 2009.

Between them, they regulate auctioneers and estate agents as well as apartment block-type complexes.

The minister said auctioneers and estate agents already have to comply with anti-money laundering regulations.

He said the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering) Bill was being held up by the inclusion of casino-type clubs in the legislation.