McDowell accused of acting above the law on prison site

The Minister for Justice Michael McDowell is facing increasing opposition to the controversial new Dublin prison site in the wake of his statement that building will begin in March of next year.

A local protest group, together with the Green Party, have brought an action to the European Court over what they say is the Minister's failure to conduct a legally-required environmental assessment of the €30m site.

Nessa Shelvin of St Margaret's Action Group is accusing Minister McDowell of acting above the law: “Nothing has changed just because a man has paid the money and he’s bulldozing ahead. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s not suitable, and never was.

“Minister McDowell seems to be under the impression that because it’s in the interests of national security that he can just do what he likes, but we maintain that he has to follow European rules – he can’t just exempt himself from everything. The European court has looked at it and said ‘yes, there is a case to answer’.”