McDowell attacks RTE documentary on €30m prison site

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has launched a scathing attack on a television documentary about the Government's purchase of a site for a new 'super-prison' in Dublin.

Speaking in the Dáil last night, the minister said he intended to make a formal complaint to the RTÉ Authority about the Prime Time programme broadcast on Tuesday night.

The documentary claimed the Department of Justice paid €30m for the site in north Co Dublin when a nearby location was available at a lower cost.

However, Mr McDowell said this was deliberately misleading and a breach of the journalistic standards of impartiality and objectivity.

RTÉ subsequently issued a statement rejecting the accusation and pointing out that the minister declined an invitation to speak on the Prime Time show.