Govt under pressure over prison site cost

The Government is coming under further pressure today over the price it paid for the proposed site of a new prison complex on the outskirts of Dublin.

The Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats coalition paid just under €30m in January for 150 acres of land in Thornton, on which it hopes to build a massive new prison.

This amounts to almost €200,000-an-acre.

Reports in this morning's newspapers claimed a farm four miles from the proposed prison site was sold yesterday for one-fifth of the price the Government paid, despite being significantly larger.

The 240-acre farm in Ratoath, Co Meath, was reportedly sold at auction in Navan yesterday for €6.2m, or €26,000-an-acre.