Minister examines option of scaled down jail at Castlerea

THE Minister for Justice has again raised the prospect of proceeding with building a new scaled down prison at Castlerea because of the shortage of prison spaces.

The chairman of the Fine Gael parliamentary party, Mr Phil Hogan, said Ms Owen had told yesterday's meeting that she was examining every avenue to discover more prison spaces. She did not rule out Castlerea as an option, he added.

The scale of the crime problem was one of the main issues raised at the meeting, with many calls for strong measures to deal with attacks on the elderly and crimes committed by prisoners on parole or on bail.

Members asked the Minister to reallocate resources so that more prison space could be provided immediately. Ms Owen said she would be bringing proposals to increase prison spaces before Government in the next few weeks.

The Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Mr Lowry, reported on the cost and competitiveness review of the ESB and indicated that there would be a price increase of less than 10 per cent after the redundancy package was agreed.

Mr Lowry said he would be bringing proposals on a strategic partner for Telecom Eireann before the Cabinet soon.

Mr Hogan said Fine Gael would not oppose the involving of the writs for the by-elections in Donegal North East and Dublin West if they were moved by Fianna Fail in the Dail. The Government expected that the by elections would be held by Easter, he said.

The party's general secretary, Mr Jim Miley, reported a significant improvement in the morale of party members in the past 13 months. Conventions to select candidates for half of the Dail constituencies would be held between now and mid year.

The party's debt had been reduced from £1 million to £50,000 and it was hoped to wipe it out with the next national draw to be held at the ardfheis on March 8th and 9th, he added.

Fianna Fail would trenchantly oppose any move by the Government to raise electricity prices by 10 per cent, its energy spokesman, Mr Seamus Brennan, said yesterday.

If the 10 per cent rise went ahead, Fianna Fail would immediately table a private members' motion in the Dail opposing it.

If media reports were accurate, Mr Brennan said, the Minister for Energy had again misled the Dail. Mr Lowry had denied during Question Time on November 22nd that he was considering an application for an increase of 10 per cent.

The Progressive Democrats energy spokesman, Mr Robert Molloy, said the brunt of the ESB increase would fall particularly heavily on domestic users.